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Liberty Extinguish Sparks In Final Seconds
Posted Saturday, July 26, 2008
 Candace Parker (3) goes for a layup against the Liberty. Photo by Noam Galai. |
NEW YORK- The New York Liberty attracted fans of all ages at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, hosting the Los Angeles Sparks in front of the season's biggest crowd-- 12,918 fans. Playing in their last home game before the Olympic break, the Liberty held off the Sparks in the final seconds with a 69-68 victory.
“We’re beginning to mature,” Liberty head coach Patty Coyle said. “We’ve been down games and we’ve come back. I think we’re starting to get our second wind and that break can’t come soon enough.”
Both teams shot out of the gate with high energy, playing an even first quarter. Trying to set the tone, Los Angeles took the lead late in the period. The Liberty responded with an 8-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer from Shameka Christon. In the closing minutes of the first quarter, New York regained the lead after a 3 from Leilani Mitchell.
The Liberty carried the same energy into the second period, extending their lead. Playing well on both ends of the floor, New York had an eight-point advantage at the midway point. Despite poor play from the Sparks, the Liberty experienced a short lapse on defense and saw their lead cut to one. A pair of free throws from Christon put the Liberty back up 33-30 going into halftime.
New York looked to push tempo in the second half and pull away from Los Angeles. Unfortunately, their intensity on defense found Christon in foul trouble when she earned her fourth personal foul two minutes into the third quarter. Without their go-to player for the rest of the period, the Liberty held off the Sparks, but saw their lead cut back to three at the 4:55 mark. Candace Parker, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Kiesha Brown led the offensive push for the Sparks, combining for 17 of the team’s 20 points in the quarter. Despite the comeback by Los Angeles, New York held onto a six-point advantage going into the final frame.
The Liberty turned up the intensity in the fourth quarter, surging to an 11-point lead in the first two minutes. New York’s momentum suddenly diminished when the Sparks went on a 14-3 run, knotting the game at 64 after a jump shot from Milton-Jones with 1:01 left in the game. Christon committed her fifth personal in the final minute, sending Milton-Jones to the line. Scoring on one of two free throws, she regained the lead for the Sparks, their first since the opening period.
After a crucial timeout, Kraayeveld drained a clutch 3-pointer, snatching back the lead for the Liberty. The Sparks quickly responded with a 3 from Brown, putting Los Angeles up by one with 15.0 seconds left in the game. Faced with the possibility of the game slipping through their fingers, the Liberty fed the ball to McCarville who scored the game-winning layup. With the game in hand, New York stepped up their defense on Los Angeles’ final possession and blocked Lisa Leslie’s last-second shot, escaping with their sixth straight win at home.
Milton-Jones led all scorers with 19 points and six rebounds. Leslie logged a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds. Parker also had a double-double, notching 13 points and 10 rebounds. Brown added 10 points from off the bench.
Christon finished with 13 points and handed out three assists for the Liberty. Kraayeveld and Ashley Battle added 11 and 9 points respectively, grabbing four rebounds apiece.
McCarville led all Liberty scorers with 15 points and four rebounds.
“It shows how much heart and desire we had in this game,” she said. “We persevered as a team. We overcame a lot and I’m happy we got the victory tonight. It helps going into the last game before the break.”
The Liberty will head to Atlanta to face the Dream on Sunday, July 27 at 3pm ET. The game will be televised locally on the MSG network and streamed online at NYLiberty.com.
The Sparks finish their road trip in Minnesota with a matchup against the Lynx on Sunday, July 27 at 6pm ET. The game will be televised on NBA-TV.
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