Richie Adubato may have an innovative approach to the Liberty’s struggles on the road.

“Maybe we should just forfeit and try to win all the games at home,” Adubato said.

The Liberty coach wasn’t serious about not making any more trips, but it may not be the worst idea. After the team’s 0-4 road swing, its record away from the Garden is 1-9.

The inability to win away from home has put the team’s playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. Entering tonight’s game against first-place Detroit (16-6) at the Garden, the 9-12 Liberty are 2½ games out of a playoff spot. They will likely be without backup point guard K.B. Sharp, who sprained her right ankle in the loss in Phoenix.

“It’s very tough,” said guard Vickie Johnson, who has been the squad’s lone consistent scorer of late, with Crystal Robinson battling a shoulder injury. “It’s a very difficult decision for us. We’ve got to turn things around quickly.”

And Adubato is still trying to figure out how to do that. He inserted Elena Baranova into the starting lineup in Sacramento in place of Tamika Whitmore. It didn’t work.

“Elena didn’t have a good road trip,” said Adubato, who added that Baranova would start tonight because she matches up well against the Shock. “Hopefully, she’ll play better now that we’re home.”

Whitmore said she wasn’t all that surprised to lose her starting role, saying that she joked with Teresa Weatherspoon that she was going to change her jersey [to match those of the reserves] because she was playing so poorly and wanted to make a change.

“I actually had a feeling that was going to happen,” Whitmore said. “Right after that, coach told me what he was going to do. I have those sometimes.”

While she understood the move, she wasn’t thrilled with it.

“It was coach’s decision that a change needed to be made,” Whitmore said. “It’s not my decision. I always work hard and will continue to work hard.”

With 13 games remaining, including seven on the road, everyone will have to work hard if the team expects to make the postseason. And while everyone managed to sound optimistic, the challenge ahead is not an easy one.

“It’s daunting,” Adubato said. “Especially with all these injuries and all these games in such a short period of time. I’ve never seen anything like it. But we still have a chance.”

One that seems to be getting smaller all the time.