When the Liberty opened the season by dropping their first two games at home, coach Pat Coyle defiantly said that no WNBA team was going to run away and hide with a conference crown.
The Connecticut Sun were threatening to do just that. Until last night.
Getting a huge lift off the bench from Shameka Christon, the Liberty used a monster 18-3 run down the stretch to overwhelm the Sun 89-79 in the Garden.
The win pulled the Liberty (7-7) to within 4 ½ games of Connecticut (12-4) in the Eastern Conference. It might have been too early to call this a must-win, but it was close.
“I think everybody’s looking at it that way,” Liberty coach Pat Coyle said before the game. “. . . There’s 20 games left to our season. If we do what we’re supposed to do and we play the way we’re capable of playing, who knows what’s going to happen.”
If there was any question about how much the game meant, it was answered with 10:53 left when Christon (14 points) drove baseline and drew contact. No call was made and Coyle lit into the refs, drawing a technical foul.
“When she does that, it motivates us because we know she’s out there fighting for us,” said guard Becky Hammon, who had 19 of her 20 points in the second half.
Trailing 70-63, Christon showed her athleticism on both ends of the court. She slashed to the lane to grab the rebound of her own missed jumper and converted it for a layup.
Later, she intercepted a pass and went in for a layup, drawing a foolish foul from Brooke Wyckoff. Christon converted the three-point play, giving the Liberty a 72-70 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
When Lindsay Whalen (24 points) was called for an offensive foul, it was Sun coach Mike Thibault who went bonkers. He was hit with a technical foul. The Sun’s Taj McWilliams-Franklin picked up a technical for good measure when she fouled out with 48.4 seconds left.
“I can’t comment,” said Thibault. “I like to hold on to my money.”
The Liberty put themselves in good position going into this weekend’s WNBA All-Star Game break. Tuesday, they won at Los Angeles for the first time since 2001. Last night, they took down the team with the best record.
“We know we can play with these teams and beat these teams,” said Christon. “We’re not going to dwell on our record.”
