The Liberty clinched No3 in WNBA Playoffs
The Liberty has announced that of (22-12) matched a franchise record with its 10th-straight win, defeating the Dallas Wings (16-18) 82-81 in its regular season finale on Sunday afternoon. Epiphanny Prince led the team with 20 points and Tina Charles posted an 18-point 18 rebound double-double.
With the win, the Liberty clinched the No. 3 seed in the WNBA Playoffs. New York will open the postseason at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Sept. 10, when it hosts the lowest advancing seed from 1st Round games. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 PM. The Liberty finished the regular season with a 22-12 record, matching it’s second best regular season in franchise history.
Both teams led by double figures in the 1st half, but a tight game in the 2nd half came down to the wire. New York, which was tied heading into the 4th quarter for the 1st time all season, led by as many as 5 in the final period, and hung on down the stretch thanks to clutch baskets from Charles, Prince, and Shavonte Zellous. For Prince, it was her 4th 20-point game of the season and the 4th time she has led the Liberty in scoring. New York saw all 5 starters finish in double figures for the 1st time this season.
New York Liberty Notes
The New York Liberty finish the regular season on a 10-game winning streak, which matches the longest winning streak in team history from the 2010 season.
The Liberty finish 22-12 overall, matching the 2nd best regular season record in team history, also from 2010
The Liberty has clinched the No. 3 seed in the WNBA Playoffs
The Liberty will open the WNBA Playoffs in the 2nd Round on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Madison Square Garden at 5 PM. They will face the lowest remaining seed from the 1st round games
Tina Charles finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds to record her 12th double-double of the season but her first in the last 12 games.
Charles last had a double-double at Chicago on July 30. The 11-game stretch without a double-double was the longest of her career, surpassing the previous longest streak of 6-straight games. Her 141-career double-doubles rank second in WNBA history (Lisa Leslie – 157) and she is the only player in WNBA history to record a double-double in over 50 percent of her games (53.4 percent)
Epiphanny Prince led the Liberty in scoring finishing with 20 points
Epiphanny Prince led the Liberty in scoring for just the 4th time this season, and it was the 2nd time she led the team offensively outright
The Liberty saw all 5 starters scored in double figures for the 1st time this season
The Liberty had its streak of 5-straight games holding opponents under 70 points come to an end. It was the longest such streak in the league since 2013 and New York’s longest since 2009
New York took opened the game by taking a 13-2 lead in the 1st quarter as the Wings missed their 1st 7 field goal attempts
Dallas responded with a 15-4 run to take its first lead on a Theresa Plaisance jumper 19-17 and the score was tied 21-21 after the 1st quarter
Liberty won for just the 3rd time this season when trailing on the road at halftime. Now 3-7 on the year on the road down at the half.
New York finishes the regular season 9-8 on the road and has won a season-best 4-straight road games. The team’s last road loss was to the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 4, the end game of a 5-game road stretch.
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