Liberty All-Star Falls Just Short of 3-Point Contest Glory

A dominant night for Allisha Gray denied New York Liberty All-Star Jonquel Jones glory from deep.

Jul 18, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New York Liberty player Jonquel Jones walks the red carpet during the WNBA All Star weekend at the Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A Dreamy night for Allisha Gray denied the New York Liberty back-to-back 3-Point Contest championships at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

For the capper of the WNBA's All-Star Friday festivities, Jonquel Jones put up a strong showing in her second 3-Point Contest appearance but the New Yorker fell in the final round to Gray, who capped off a dominant evening in style. The Atlanta Dream rep previously prevailed in the night's Skills Competition and became the first woman to win both events in one showing.

The 3-Point Contest lacked some expected star power, namely Jones' Liberty teammate and reigning event winner Sabrina Ionescu, as well as Indiana Fever freshman sensation Caitlin Clark. Ionescu opted to use whatever free time she had to train for the United States national team's upcoming Olympic endeavor while the Rookie of the Year favorite Clark chose to take in the sights during her maiden All-Star voyage.

Jones, Gray, and the rest of the field nonetheless kept things undeniably exciting: Jones, showcasing a new set of skills as the Liberty got off to a franchise-best start, won the first round of the competition, scoring 25 points to advance to the final. She and Gray eliminated Stef Dolson (Washington), Marina Mabrey (Connecticut), and Kayla McBride (Minnesota) from contention with their opening round efforts.

Gray scored 21 in the latter round before holding her breath for the final, as Jones' final shot officially secured the sweep.

Jones was making her second appearance in the long-distance shootout, previously coming up short against Allie Quigley's mastery during the 2021 event in Las Vegas. This season has Jones shooting 39.6 percent from deep, her best output as a full-time starter and top overall since 2018, when she took home the Sixth Woman of the Year Award with the Connecticut Sun. Jones is also shooting a career-best 55.7 percent from the field overall.

Had Jones' final shot fallen, the Liberty would've become the first team to have two different women win the 3-Point Contest. Ionescu stole the show in Las Vegas last summer with a jaw-dropping performance in the final round, one that saw her score 37 of a possible 40 points.

With the Friday festivities in the books, Jones is set to wage a seafoam civil war against Ionescu and Breanna Stewart: the latter two are repping the aforementioned national team in the fiercest brand of Olympic tune-up game, which come against an assortment of WNBA All-Stars such as Jones on Saturday night (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

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