Liberty Grind it Out Win Against Sun, 83-76

Pre-Game Warm Ups in Madison Square Garden (@HeatherVulin/Twitter)

The New York Liberty hosted the Connecticut Sun for a Sunday matinee. New York is returning from a disappointing trip to Minnesota, where the Liberty dropped the game and the season series to the 2nd place Lynx. Connecticut is licking wounds from an overtime loss to the number one team in the league, the Los Angeles Sparks.

First Half

The Liberty, with a crowd of 9,464 fans, seemed more energized at the beginning of the game then they looked for the entire contest against Maya Moore and company. Liberty had the lead at the end of the 1st Quarter behind a team-leading 5 points notched by Sugar Rodgers.

In the 2nd Quarter, New York racked up 12 personal fouls and 13 turnovers, surrendering the 8 point lead. Connecticut was up by six points with 2:03 left in the half. Both teams went over the foul limit with just over two minutes before the half. New York shot 87.5% from the free throw line, while the Sun shot 71.4% from the line. Foul shots kept New York in the game, as Charles knocked down two from the line to tie the game at 34 points apiece, with 39.2 seconds left in the half. However, Connecticut Guard Jasmine Thomas sunk a field goal at the buzzer to give the Sun a 38-36 lead going into the half.

Coach Bill Laimbeer noted that first half turnovers hurt the Liberty, “I thought tonight, we had way too many turnovers, especially in the first half, which kept them in the game.” New York recorded sixteen turnovers over the course of the game, 81% came in the first half. Connecticut made the Liberty pay, scoring 20 points off turnovers, while only giving up 6 points on 7 turnovers.

Second Half

In the final half, New York continued to be frustrated by the calls on the court, perhaps leading to mental errors. With 7:24 left in the 3rd, Connecticut earned its first 7 point lead of the quarter. However, with the quickness of Brittany Boyd and the composure of Swin Cash, the New York Liberty were able to crawl back into the game. With 4:05 left, Sugar Rodgers hit a huge 3 pointer to get the Liberty within a field goal of Connecticut. After the assist to Rodgers, Cash made a defensive steal and found a driving Kiah Stokes, who drew the foul. Stokes made both free throws, tying the game.

Two more steals from Cash and Boyd and a Connecticut shot clock violation assisted the Liberty to end the 3rd with a 2 point lead. Rodgers and Tina Charles led the Liberty in scoring with 12 points going into the 4th Quarter. Prior to the 4th Quarter, Chiney Ogwumike was keeping Connecticut in the game with her rebounding. In the 4th, Amanda Zahui B. was able to slow Ogwumike down, if not stop her altogether, “She’s a good player, she’s gonna get some points,” said Laimbeer in reference to Chiney.

The Liberty were able to contain Chiney and the Sun early, reaching a 6 point lead with 6:45 left in the game. However, with a small collection of fouls, turnovers, and a huge 3-pointer by Shekinna Stricklen, Connecticut took a 66-65 lead less than two minutes later. Boyd got the Liberty back in the game with a field goal and the free throw. However, Stricklen came up huge again from behind the arc, bringing the Sun to within one point with 3:00 left in the game. The former Tennessee Lady Vol contributed 9 points from the bench.

New York was able to pull away in the final minutes, in large part, because of rebounding. The team scooped up 5 loose balls in the last 3 minutes and tallied 5 second chance points. The Liberty, with 16 points from Cash, defeated the Connecticut Sun 83-76. Charles and Rodgers both had 14 points in the contest, Ogwumike led all scorers with 18 points. Charles also recorded her 12th double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) in yesterday’s win.

Post game

After the game, Zahui B. agreed that Chiney and the Connecticut Sun have been playing better of late. She expressed that her team knew they needed to play with more energy to win, “We always talk about wanting to win and doing it with a lot of heart and energy. That’s what we brought in the second half, especially in the 4th.”

While Laimbeer joked that Swin might have “turned back the clock” yesterday, Cash offered a different rationale for her performance, “The last few games, I haven’t been feeling like myself and I just wanted to get into a rhythm.” Cash talked with Teresa Weatherspoon (Liberty Director of Player Development) and focused on specific things during her gym session Saturday.

The hard work paid off, as Cash was the leader that New York needed to edge out Connecticut. “She know’s when it’s her time and tonight was her time,” said Laimbeer of the player who assisted Detroit to two WNBA Championships under his command. Swin knows the final two games before the Olympic break are important, “We want to make sure we’re going (into the break) on an upswing … whatever it takes to win, I think that’s what we need to do.”

The Liberty face-off against Washington on Wednesday and host Indiana on Thursday before the Olympic break. Tina Charles will be traveling to Brazil to compete with Team USA. Kiah Stokes and Sugar Rodgers have been named to the Team USA select team and will join Charles in Los Angeles for the first leg of Olympic Preparation.

Catch Team USA players at the USA Basketball Showcase prior to their departure to Brazil. The Women’s Team will play in Los Angeles, Delaware and Connecticut before making the final stop at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, July 31st. NBA TV will air four showcase games, including the Women’s Senior team versus USA Basketball Select on Monday, July 25th.

Follow Erica Ayala on Twitter @elindsay08