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Liberty Shake Off Dream, Secure Playoff Berth
Posted Saturday, September 6, 2008
 Janel McCarville led the Liberty with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. Photo by Noam Galai. |
NEW YORK - Prior to the game against the Atlanta Dream, the New York Liberty were aware of the playoff picture and knew that one more win meant they were in. The Liberty accomplished the task and clinched the third playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, defeating the Dream 82-71 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
“We’re playing without two of our top six,” head coach Patty Coyle said. “I think our bench did a really good job tonight. They have been a solid unit for us the entire season.”
In their second game without leading scorer Shameka Christon, New York played an even first quarter with Atlanta. The Dream pulled to a five-point lead late in the period after taking advantage of lackluster passing by the Liberty. New York’s ball handling issues continued for the duration of the quarter, but they pulled to within three going into the second stanza.
New York looked to improve offensively in the second period, knotting the score at 22 in the opening minutes. Both teams battled it out in a quarter that saw three ties and five lead changes. The Liberty’s biggest threat of the evening was Atlanta’s Betty Lennox, who dominated from the perimeter for most of the game. With two minutes left in the first half, Lennox knotted the score at 33, but a 3-pointer from Loree Moore put the Liberty back up by three. Going into the break, New York led Atlanta 38-35.
The Liberty started the second half with high energy and held onto their slight advantage over the Dream for a majority of the third quarter. Playing better on both ends of the floor, New York surged to a six-point lead at the midway point. Janel McCarville, Ashley Battle and Cathrine Kraayeveld led the offensive push, combining for 20 of the team’s 27 points in the period. A 6-0 run to close out the third quarter contributed to the Liberty’s 10-point advantage going into the final frame.
Although New York squandered its double-figure lead as the fourth quarter progressed, allowing Atlanta to pull within three with 2:58 left in the game, the Liberty regained their focus after a pivotal timeout ,and surged ahead with an 11-0 run to cruise to the victory.
Lennox led all scorers with 28 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Erika Desouza and Katie Feenstra added 10 points apiece, pulling down six and three rebounds respectively.
Kraayeveld notched 18 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Liberty. Lisa Willis, in her first career start, contributed 12 points and grabbed three rebounds.
McCarville led all Liberty scorers with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists.
“I think everybody had it in the back of their minds that we needed to win this game,” McCarville said. “We needed to come out, prove to ourselves and to everybody else that we’re a better team than the last time we were at home.”
The Liberty’s next matchup is against the Chicago Sky on Sunday, September 7th at 1pm ET.
The Dream will return to Atlanta to face the Indiana Fever on Monday, September 8 at 7:00 pm ET.
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