Liberty stops Lynx for fifth straight win
LIBERTY coach Bill Laimbeer said all season that come August he’ll know a lot more about his team.
Right now, the Liberty is one of the best teams in the WNBA, winning five straight, including victories over the top three teams in the league.
“We said all along that we’d have a better idea of who we are this month,” Laimbeer said be- fore his team beat the Minnesota Lynx, 70-61, on Sunday at the Garden. “Everyone is accepting their roles.”
Tina Charles scored 19 points and Epiphanny Prince added 15 to lead the Liberty. Despite the winning streak and clinching a postseason berth for the third straight year, Charles took a more cautious approach to the victory over the top-seeded Lynx.
“I don’t think it says anything. I think we should have been playing like that since May. I don’t get too high on games,” she said. “If you want a big ole jumping up and down, you can ask anyone, that’s not me. Anything can happen in the playoffs.”
The Liberty had the third-best record in the league last season and lost in its playoff opener.
The Liberty (17-12) trailed by 11 in the first half before cutting its deficit to five at the break. The Liberty took the lead for good in the third quarter on two free throws by Sugar Rodgers with 40 seconds left in the period.
Minnesota was down 47-46 early in the fourth before the Liberty scored 15 of the next 17 points to take control.
“We stopped scoring. Give New York credit for their defense,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “They were pretty turned up with their physicality and pressure they were putting on. Ordinarily, we’re a team that can make you pay for that and we didn’t get it done.”
Maya Moore scored 22 points to lead the Lynx (22-6), which was missing starters Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson to injuries.
The Lynx and Liberty players locked arms in a giant circle with members of the NYPD and Covenant House at center court before the game in a show of unity during the national anthem. This contest was billed as a unity game to help promote social awareness toward racial inequalities. The Liberty hosted an hour-long panel before the game with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality.