The Liberty were doomed to yet another loss on the road, despite Tina Charles passing an old teammate on the team’s scoring list.
More history from Tina Charles couldn’t overshadow another loss for the New York Liberty on Thursday night.
Charles was the lone Liberty representative in double-figures, scoring 11 points, as the Liberty fell 82-68 to the Atlanta Dream at McCamish Pavilion on Thursday night.
With her first basket of the evening, Charles moved into second place on the Liberty’s all-time scoring list, passing Cappie Pondexter. In just her fifth New York season, Charles has already accumulated 2,981 points and counting. Her milestone, however, couldn’t overshadow another tough team performance on the road. Frustration really seemed to mount for the Liberty (7-16) as the game went on. They were called for five technical fouls in the second half.
3rd Star: Kiah Stokes
Stokes tallied the 700th rebound of her career on Sunday and served as one of the Liberty’s few bright spots off the bench. She sank three of her five attempts en route to eight points and four rebounds.
2nd Star: Tina Charles
Charles continued her trek through the Liberty record books, her ascension up both the team and league scoring lists is one of the few bright spots in this frustrating season. She was one of the five New York players called for a technical, her frustration furthered by losing two of her biggest scoring helpers.
1st Star: Brittany Boyd
Boyd was two points short of a double-double as she made her third consecutive start, picking up eight points and seven rebounds to complement 10 assists. She got caught up in the Liberty’s frenzy of frustration, picking up a technical in the third quarter, but she has continued to bring an undeniable spark to the lineup. Her 5.1 assists per game currently rank fifth in the league.
How It Was Decided
The Liberty got off to a strong defensive start, as Atlanta missed their first 10 shots. However, they failed to capitalize against the red-hot Dream (14-9). The biggest lead they were able to take was 8-5. Atlanta would conclude the quarter on a 16-5 run.
En route to their sixth straight win, the Dream enjoyed a variety in their scoring, with Renee Montgomery and Tiffany Hayes leading the way with 24 and 20 points respectively. The Dream would shoot 14-for-62 otherwise, including 2-of-13 from Angel McCoughtry. But they dominated the offensive glass, outrebounding the Liberty 21-7. Once the Liberty let frustration get to them, they never truly threatened.
Game Notes
- Marissa Coleman, dressing for the second time since missing the nine previous games with an injury, partook in her first game since June 24 at Los Angeles, playing just under three minutes and scoring two points.
- Vickie Johnson is the all-time scoring leader in Liberty history at 3,246.
- Shavonte Zellous (right ankle sprain) and Epiphanny Prince (right eye contusion) each left the game with injuries. They likely won’t play on Saturday.
- Rebecca Allen, Amanda Zauhi B., and Bria Hartley were the other New Yorkers penalized with technical fouls in the second half. Montgomery
What's Next
The Liberty will look to earn a win against the Washington Mystics for the first time this season, squaring off against them for the third time this season, but for the first time at Westchester County Center (3:00 p.m. MSG+).