Liberty Fall to Tulsa
The Liberty (3-6) failed to build off their momentum from Sunday afternoons win, falling to the Shock (2-5) in Tulsa Tuesday afternoon by the score of 72-57.
New York struggled out of the gate in a 12:30 start time, falling behind by as many as 10 points in the opening quarter. Thanks to the prowess of Skylar Diggins, who scored nine points and added six assists in the first half, Tulsa was able to open up a 13-point lead going into the locker room.
The Liberty were reenergized after halftime, slicing the deficit to as little as four points with less than a minute to play in the third quarter, when guard Anna Cruz found forward DeLisha Milton-Jones for the basket. Center Tina Charles, who finished the matinee affair with 25 points, poured in 10 in the third quarter, providing the spark New York needed to claw its way back into the game.
For the beginning of the fourth quarter the game remained close, but at the 5:39 mark Diggins converted a layup that started a 12-4 Shock run to stretch the Tulsa lead to 15 and put the game out of reach.
Charles led the way for the Liberty with her 25 pointsa season high for the former MVP. Charles also added 10 rebounds, giving her five double-doubles for the season. No other Liberty player reached double figures, though Milton-Jones finished the afternoon with nine points and Cruz added eight more on 3-of-3 shooting. Cappie Pondexter struggled with her shot but contributed a season-high seven assists.
New York returns home to Madison Square Garden Friday night to take on the Connecticut Sun at 7:30 p.m.