Sun Stop Mystics, Clinch No. 4 Playoff Seed

Jonquel Jones (35) does the shake-and-bake on Washington star
Elena Delle Donne to lead the Sun to an 86-76 victory.

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Jonquel Jones scored 14 points and hauled down a career-high 22 rebounds,

and Alyssa Thomas also put up a Double-Double (a career-high 26 points and 10 boards) to lead the Connecticut Sun to an 86-76 victory over the Washington Mystics before 10,953 fans at Capital One Arena. It was JJ’s 19th Double-D of the season, and it was the fifth for Thomas.

In addition, Jones became just the second player in WNBA history to have 20-or-more rebounds in three games in a single season. The other player to do so was Tina Charles when the former UConn star was a rookie for the Sun in 2010. Jones passed Syliva Fowles (369) and Charles (374) to move into second place on the WNBA’s all-time rebound list. Jones, who leads the WNBA in rebounds per game with a 12.0 average, now has 384 boards for the season, just 14 shy of Charles’s record of 398 set in 2010.

Oh, and she proved she could do more than just score and rebound by dishing out a career-high six assists for good measure.

Jasmine Thomas added 20 points for Connecticut, while Shekinna Stricken remained hot as a pistol, knocking down 4 of 8 from beyond the three-point arc for all of her 12 points.

Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with a 24-point, 16-rebound effort, while Krystal Thomas chipped in with seven points and 14 boards. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough popped in 14 off the bench for the Washington, which lost its third straight game and fell to 17-15.

Leading by just two points at intermission, Connecticut took control of the game with a 22-point third quarter and led by 16 with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. The Mystics chipped away at that lead over the next five minutes, and trailed by only four poits with 1:15 left to play. But a long two-point jumper and four free throws from Jasmine Thomas in the closing minutes, along with two big rebounds from Stricken, sealed the deal for the Sun.

With the win, the Sun, who improved to 21-11, secured a top-4 seed heading into the postseason, which gives them a first-round bye. They will host a second-round game on Sept. 10 at the Mohegan Sun Arena, with the time and opponent still to be determined.

The Sun will return to action on Friday in Phoenix when they will take on the Mercury. Tip-off is at 10 p.m. ET and can be streamed live on Twitter.

—Staff Reports