Sugar Rodgers. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495Sports
Coming off back-to-back games with over 95 points, the New York Liberty (5-12) offense stalled against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night as they fell at home, 77-62. They will look for more success when they head back to Washington for a rematch against the Mystics (10-6) on Thursday night at Capital One Arena. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and fans are encouraged to check out the game on MSG+
QUICK HITS
Tina Charles’ 19.4 points per game rank eighth in the league (as of 7/4).
Charles’ 6.6 rebounds per game are tied for 16th in the league (as of 7/4).
Kia Nurse’s is fifth among rookies with 9.3 points per game (as of 7/4).
Brittany Boyd’s 4.6 assists per contest slot sixth in the WNBA (as of 7/4).
Bria Hartley is tied for 16th in the league with 3.7 assists per game (as of 7/4).
The Liberty’s loss to the Mystics at the buzzer earlier this season (6/28) was their second loss by way of a buzzer-beating three this season.
Kia Vaughn scored a season-high 16 points in the last matchup against the Mystics (6/28).
The Liberty and the Mystics both rank towards the bottom of the league in rebounding per game at ninth and tenth, respectively.
The Liberty have just two road wins in seven attempts this season.
New York and Washington met in the 2017 WNBA playoffs, when the sixth-seeded Mystics upset the third-seeded Liberty in the second round.
KEY MATCHUP
Tina Charles and Elena Delle Donne are two of the brightest stars in the league, and it’s almost a foregone conclusion the duo will get their fair share of buckets. A matchup that may prove to be more important, however, is the battle between shooting guards Epiphanny Prince and Kristi Tolliver. Prince scored a team-high 21 points in the first matchup between the two teams, while Tolliver ranks second on the Mystics with 14.1 points per game.
LAST MEETING
On June 28, 2018, an Elena Delle Donne three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Mystics an 80-77 victory over the Liberty in Washington.
Delle Donne finished with a team-high 22 points. The victory was the Mystics’ fourth in a row.
Epiphanny Prince led the Liberty with 21 points, including four 3-pointers, while Tina Charles added 18.
IT AIN’T EASY BEING BREEZY
After not finding the bottom of the basket in the first half, Bria Hartley exploded for 14 points in the third quarter against the Storm on Tuesday. With her 14th, the fifth-year pro scored the 1,000th point of her career. She finished with a team-high 16 points, hitting three of her five attempts from behind the arc.
CENTER OF ATTENTION
A good portion of the Liberty’s minutes at center get soaked up by the duo of Kia Vaughn and Amanda Zahui B, and the pair has played well recently. They have combined for 18.7 points per game over the past seven contests, shooting 60.9 percent from the field over that span.
FOR CHARITY
The Liberty’s inconsistent effort to get to the line is often a difference maker separating its wins from losses this season. Of it five victories, New York has earned 123 trips to the line in total, 24.6 trips per game. However, through 12 setbacks, the Liberty has managed to get to the line only 141 times, 11.8 times per contest. In turn, the Liberty is netting only 73.4 points in setbacks and is dropping 87.0 in wins.
THE MORE THE MERRIER
In New York victories this season, Tina Charles (25.4 ppg), Shavonte Zellous (14.2 ppg) and Kia Nurse (14.0) average double-figures. Bria Hartley is slightly shy of the benchmark putting in 9.0 points per game while Sugar Rodgers averages 8.0 ppg through three wins. Only competing in one win this season, Epiphanny Prince registered eight points. Charles is the only player to still exceed the 10-point mark in losses with Zellous and Nurse chipping in 5.4 and 7.3 respective points. Amanda Zahui B contributes 9.5 points in defeats.
For more information on the New York Liberty and for tickets to upcoming games fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: