UNCASVILLE, CONN. – The New York Liberty fell to the Chicago Sky 86-75 in preseason action at Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday night.
Tina Charles led the way for the Liberty, finishing with 14 points and 3 rebounds. Sugar Rodgers also finished in double figures for New York, scoring 11 points while knocking down three shots from long distance.
New York trailed 29-19 after the opening period, but closed the game to 47-44 by halftime, thanks in part to a big 2nd quarter from Rodgers and strong play from Charles. A 14-2 run was capped off when Charles nailed a hook shot in the paint, pulling New York to within 43-41 with :54.5 to play, but Cappie Pondexter answered on the other end with a mid-range jumper.
The Sky pulled away to start the 4th quarter, opening the period on a 6-1 run to build a double-digit lead once again. A Rebekah Gardner triple with just over 5 minutes to play extended the lead all the way to 82-68.
The Liberty turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 19 points for Chicago. With Rodgers leading the way, New York was red hot from the outside, shooting 8-of-13 (.615) from long distance. Rebecca Allen scored 8 points and connected on both of her outside shots. Jacki Gemelos was also 2-of-2 from downtown.
Pondexter was one of four players in double figures for Chicago, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
New York will wrap up its preseason slate with a contest against the Connecticut Sun at Columbia University’s Levien Gymnasium on Sunday, May 7. The game is open exclusively to Liberty season ticket holders, and tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Game Notes:
• Tina Charles scored a team-high 14 points, going 6-of-6 from the line
• The Liberty shot 8-of-13 (.615) from 3-point range; Rodgers, Allen, and Gemelos each hit multiple 3-pointers
• New York was outrebounded 37-31 and outscored 10-7 in 2nd chance opportunities
• The Liberty never led and trailed by as many as 16