ATLANTA, GA. – JUNE 20 – 2015 – The New York Liberty will look to snap a two-game slide when it heads down to Atlanta, Ga., to face off with the Dream on Sunday afternoon. For the first time this season, a Liberty road contest will be broadcast locally on MSG, with coverage beginning at 3 p.m.
WATCH: MSG Network
RADIO: 92.9 FM The Game
NEW YORK GAME NOTES: Click Here
ALL-TIME: New York leads, 19-10
2015 SEASON: New York, 1-0
LAST MEETING: June 5, 2015 (at New York) – New York 82, Atlanta 73
After starting the season with five of its first six games of the season at Madison Square Garden, New York will see five of its next six on the road, starting with Sunday’s matinee against Atlanta. Although it is just the seventh game of the season, it will be the third rematch of the year for New York, although the Liberty have not fared well in second meetings so far this season, with an 0-2 record in those games, including Friday night’s 80-63 setback against Indiana.
New York and Atlanta met up on opening day, as Tina Charles posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Liberty to an 82-73 victory. Overall, New York saw four players score in double figures in that game, and received a huge boost from the bench, outscoring the Dream 44-10.
In addition to getting Charles back on track on the offensive end, she has been held to just six points in each of the last two games, key components for the Liberty will come on the defensive end. In getting out to a 3-1 start, New York limited its opponents to just 69.0 ppg and a .348 field goal percentage, ranking amongst the league’s leaders in both categories. However, over the past two games, the Liberty have seen its opponents score 77.0 ppg and shooting .425 from the field while knocking down 10 3-pointers per game.
ALL-STAR VOTING UNDERWAY
Voting for the 2015 WNBA All-Star Game is underway and now fans have the ability to vote for any WNBA player for a chance to send them to the All-Star Game at Mohegan Sun Arena on July 25. There are four ways to vote and fans can pick up to 10 players each day with each method. Tag a player on Facebook or Twitter using the #wnbaballot hashtag, or vote on each individual player page on WNBA.com or the WNBA mobile app. Voting runs through July 9, and the starters will be announced on July 14.
BOYD OH BOYD
Brittany Boyd looks like she’s in that starting slot to stay after starting the past four games for the Liberty. On Friday against Indiana, she was second on the team in scoring with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists and has scored in double figures twice this season, including the first meeting with Atlanta when she posted 14 points. She continues to improve and is becoming a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden.
THE WRIGHT WAY
Veteran guard Tanisha Wright has proven to be a vital leader on and off the court for the Liberty this season, and led by example against Indiana on Friday night, posting 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting to lead the Liberty offensively for the first time this season. Wright has been making the most of her scoring chances and is one of the most efficient scorer’s in the league so far this year, ranking second with a .576 field goal percentage and she is 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
JUST KEEP SWIN-ING
In her 14th season in the WNBA, Swin is climbing up the record charts. She needs just seven more games to pass Tully Bevilaqua for 8th all time games played (426), and 28 more points to pass Sheryl Swoopes for 13th all time in scoring (4,875).
A SPOON FULL OF SUGAR
Sugar Rodgers scored in double figures for the second-consecutive game on Friday with 11 points, three assists and three rebounds. She has been a spark of energy off the bench for the Liberty thus far, and is also one of New York’s best on-ball defenders. Rodgers’ is averaging 1.2 steals per game, which ranks 27th in the league.