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Sunday, Jun. 18 7:30pm ET
Liberty goes low but still wins | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Liberty made their foul shots for a change, and it helped them pick up a rare low-scoring victory. Crystal Robinson scored 13 points and the Liberty scored their final seven points from the free-throw line Sunday night to hold off the Miami Sol 58-52. The Liberty, who had been 0-5 when scoring fewer than 70 points this season, led by as many as 18 points in the second half before some poor shooting and inattentive defense allowed Miami to creep back into the game. "Miami just never died and we just could not stop their run," Liberty point guard Teresa Weatherspoon said. "Fortunately we made our foul shots. Normally we're not making our foul shots." New York came into the game shooting 70.9 percent from the line to rank 11th in the WNBA. The Liberty went 15-for-20 Sunday, including the 7-for-8 run to close the game. It was a good thing, too, because New York struggled from the field. In the second half, the team went 7-for-26 (27 percent). "We threw up some bad shots and we had some plays that worked but we didn't hit the shots," forward Sue Wicks said. "That's frustrating and it builds." The Liberty (4-5) scored the first eight points of the second half to open up a 41-23 lead -- their biggest of the game -- with 17:43 to play. Robinson began the run with a 3-pointer and ended it by threading a pass to Tari Phillips for a layup. But the Liberty then missed seven straight shots, allowing the expansion Sol (3-6) to get back into the game with an 11-0 burst, fueled by German center Marlies Askamp's nine points. And when Katrina Colleton, who had 19 points, hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 6:25 left, the Sol were suddenly within 45-42. Then, Colleton's off-balance jumper rattled in as the shot clock expired to pull Miami within 49-47 with 2:37 to go. But Vickie Johnson responded for the Liberty with a jumper in the lane. "We needed that shot then," Liberty coach Richie Adubato said. "We had a big lead and we thought the game was over." Miami was playing on consecutive days for the first time this season, and was on the floor for the fourth time in six nights. It showed -- particularly in a first half that saw the Sol make just two baskets in the last 10½ minutes. That helped New York lead 33-23 at halftime, behind Robinson's eight points and Johnson's seven. "We're not a consistent team. We play in hills and valleys," said Sol coach Ron Rothstein, who also coached the NBA's Miami Heat as an expansion team. "But you know what? When you have this kind of schedule, you can't work on things." Robinson was coming off a scoreless performance in New York's last game, a 57-56 loss to Washington on Tuesday, but she showed no ill effects from a sprained right ankle that caused to her miss three straight games this month. Johnson and Phillips each scored 11 points for New York, while Weatherspoon had nine points and seven assists. Miami, which beat Cleveland 55-48 at home on Saturday, got 14 points from Askamp and 11 from Sheri Sam. | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard RECAPS Houston 78 Minnesota 66
New York 58
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