New York Liberty Huddle. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495Sports
The New York Liberty (5-13) mustered just 26 second-half points against the Washington Mystics as they fell 86-67 on the road. Having lost seven of their last eight, they will look to get back to winning ways when they host the Dallas Wings (9-8) on Sunday at the Westchester County Center.
QUICK HITS
Tina Charles’ 19.8 points per game rank seventh in the league (as of 7/7).
Charles’ 6.8 rebounds per game are tied for 11th in the league (as of 7/7).
Kia Nurse is fifth among rookies with 8.8 points per game (as of 7/7).
Brittany Boyd’s 4.4 assists per contest slot seventh in the WNBA (as of 7/4).
Bria Hartley ranks 13th in the league with 3.8 assists per game (as of 7/4).
Shavonte Zellous finished with 19 points and nine assists, both season-bests, in a win against Dallas earlier this season (6/29). She also chipped in six rebounds.
Tina Charles notched a double-double against Dallas last time out (6/29), finishing with a season-high 34 points and adding 10 rebounds. The forward has four double-doubles on the season.
KEY MATCHUP
It will need to be a collective effort by the Liberty to keep Liz Cambage off the boards. The 6’8 center notched 16 rebounds in the first matchup between these two teams, including six on the offensive end, while Tina Charles grabbed 10 in the game. Moreover, Cambage’s production helped Dallas top New York, 10-6, in second-chance points. Despite the Wings boasting the league’s second-best clip on the boards (35.5), with the Liberty among the bottom percentile, New York was edged by just one board in the previous shared meeting.
LAST MEETING
On May 29, 2018, Tina Charles scored 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as New York beat the Dallas Wings, 94-89.
The Liberty trailed by 14 with under a minute to go in the third, but stormed back to give head coach Katie Smith her first victory.
Shavonte Zellous added 19 points with nine assists for New York. Liz Cambage led the Wings with 28 points and 16 rebounds.
SORRY, SWIN
Tina Charles led the Liberty with a game-high 26 points along with 12 rebounds against the Mystics (7/5), notching her fourth double-double of the season. With her 18th point of the contest, the veteran surpassed former teammate Swin Cash to move into 16th on the WNBA all-time scoring list.
SHARING IS CARING
The Liberty rank top five in the league in assists per game, and they have been especially good of late, averaging 21.0 a contest over the past seven. Both New York floor generals, Bria Hartley and Brittany Boyd, rank top-15 in the league in helpers per game, and Hartley is coming off a seven-assist effort against the Mystics (7/5), tying her career-best first registered in 2016.
SECOND UNIT IMPORTANCE
Liberty reserves combined for just 13 points in the loss to the Mystics, with the leading scorers off the bench-Sugar Rodgers, Brittany Boyd and Kiah Stokes-each chipping in four points. The New York bench has been crucial in victories this season; in those five games, reserves are averaging 27.4 points a contest.
ROOKIE RESPONSIBILITY
Kia Nurse, the Liberty’s second-leading scorer with 8.8 points per game, has been quiet of late, scoring a combined four points in 10 minutes per game over the past three. But when the rookie plays well, so do the Liberty; in wins this season, she has averaged 14.0 points per game.
FRESH FACES AGAINST DALLAS
In the victory over the Wings earlier this season, the Liberty were without Epiphanny Prince, Brittany Boyd, and Sugar Rodgers due to various health concerns. The trio is back to full health this time around; Prince led all scorers with 20 points in her last matchup against Dallas (9/3/17).
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