by RENALDO DORSETT
Jonquel Jones and the Connecticut Sun continue to struggle and fell to 1-7 in the WNBA standings after a pair of losses this weekend.
In their latest outing Sunday afternoon, Jones recorded a career high nine rebounds, four points and two blocked shots in the Sun’s 86-77 loss to the Indiana Fever.
Connecticut has lost its last six and is off to the worst start in franchise history.
They fell to 1-7 for the first time since 2001 – when they were the Orlando Miracle – with the loss to the Fever.
The loss also put them at 0-4 on their own court for the first time.
“There was frustration tonight because there were stretches where we had self-inflicted turnovers. There were stretches where players got into themselves and then we started running plays wrong. We didn’t execute,” coach Curt Miller said.
Indiana has won six straight over the Sun.
In the first game of this weekend’s back-to-back, Jones finished with three points, five rebounds and two assists in an 83-77 loss to the Atlanta Dream.
Atlanta trailed 30-23 before Carla Cortijo scored eight straight to start a 13-0 run for a six-point lead. Angel McCoughtry’s floater in the lane gave Atlanta a 43-39 lead at the break and the Dream scored the first six points of the third quarter to put the game away for good.
On the season Jones is averaging 10.9 minutes, 4.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
She posted a career high 10 points in an 93-81loss to the Seattle Storm on May 28.
Jones and her fellow first round draft picks continue to struggle for playing time early in the season.
“You don’t want them to lose confidence early in the season,” Miller said to Jim Fuller of the New Haven Register. “We truly believe it is the coaching staff’s job to put them in positions to be successful. In crunch time we relied on that veteran rotation. We really believe in the rookies, believe they have a really great future but at the same time we are not going to put them in positions that they can’t be successful in or put them in positions where it could steal some of their confidence. I can’t be more pleased with their attitudes, they have worked really hard and are very talented so I am excited about it and the minutes will certainly come.”
