WNBA New York Liberty

Liberty to Take on Sun Tomorrow

August 1, 2005 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
New York Liberty News Release


What a game you saw yesterday! The Liberty defeated Eastern Conference rival Indiana, 67-53, at The Garden. Fresh off that victory, New York will host the Connecticut Sun tomorrow night. The Eastern Conference-leading Sun will come to The Garden Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Be there as the Liberty rides the momentum from the Fever win to a victory over the Sun!

Cheer on the home team with your Liberty rally towel! Due to circumstances beyond our control, the night light giveaway scheduled for Tuesday's game has been changed to a rally towel. So get to The Garden early tomorrow to be one of the first 5,000 fans to receive your FREE rally towel, courtesy of Rockaway Bedding!

For all you Vickie Johnson fans, the Team Store has just what you're looking for. The Store will have autographed VJ jerseys on sale! And when you purchase one of the jerseys, you will receive a FREE VJ pin! Also at the Store, pick up a silver Liberty mini-ball for only $5.

Grab dinner at The Garden tomorrow. Play by Play will be offering $1 off all hamburgers and $1 off all bottled beer. What a deal! For the true ballgame feel, get some peanuts in the shell at the concession stands for just $2, marked down from $3.50. Plus, don't forget about the new "$weet Treat$" menu. You can snack on your favorite candy and ice cream for only $1 and $2.

Park at the Meyers indoor lot on 31st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues and save tomorrow. Pay only $20 with your ticket stub or proof of payment to the game!

Tomorrow's game is sure to be a thriller, so get your tickets now! You can purchase them at the MSG Box Office, by phone at 877-WNBA-TIX or online at nyliberty.com.

See you Tuesday at The Garden!

THE MATCH-UP
New York hosts the Connecticut Sun tomorrow ... The game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden ... This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season ... The Liberty is currently 12-11 (.522) and in third place in the Eastern Conference after a 67-53 win over Indiana on Sunday.

ALL-TIME AGAINST CONNECTICUT (13-10)
New York has a winning all-time record against the Connecticut Sun, formerly the Orlando Miracle ... The Liberty has won 13 of the 23 games the two teams have played since 1999 ... New York was 8-5 against the Orlando Miracle from 1999-2002 and has been 5-5 against the Sun since the team moved to Connecticut in 2003 ... The first time the two teams met this season, New York prevailed, 89-79, at Madison Square Garden on July 7 ... Most recently, the Sun defeated the Liberty in Connecticut, 73-70, on July 28.

TEAM NOTES
BACK ON TRACK
New York once again boasts a winning record ... After Sunday's victory over Indiana, the Liberty is now 12-11 (.522) ... This is the fourth time this season the Liberty has been above the .500 mark ... New York also holds a winning record at home now, as the team is 6-5 (.545) within the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden.

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
The third time was indeed the charm for the Liberty against the Fever ... New York picked up its first win against Indiana on Sunday after losing twice earlier this season to the Fever.

FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS
Elena Baranova marked a milestone in her career on Sunday ... She scored the 2,000th point of her career against the Fever ... A pair of free throws at the 14:33 mark gave Baranova her first two points of the game, as well as put her at the 2,000 career point plateau ... She is the 33rd player in the history of the WNBA to reach the milestone ... Sunday's game was the second time this year a Liberty player has achieved a personal milestone against the Fever ... In the May 26 match-up between the two teams, Crystal Robinson nabbed the 500th rebound of her career.

FOUR FOR ALL
The New York-Indiana game on Sunday saw four Liberty players score in double figures ... It was the eighth game this season that four players have scored 10 or more points ... The Liberty is now 9-3 this season when four or more players hit double digits in a game.

RACKING ‘EM UP
On Sunday Ann Wauters set her second career high in as many games ... She posted 24 points in the win over Indiana, which is a new career best ... Wauters set a new career high for rebounds in the Liberty's last game, July 28 in Connecticut ... She pulled down 13 boards in the contest.

HER TOO
Shameka Christon also put up career numbers for the second game in a row on Sunday ... In her second 2005 start, Christon played a career high 39 minutes ... She also pulled down seven rebounds, which ties her career best ... Her two steals on Sunday tied her career high as well ... In New York's last game, July 28 in Connecticut, Christon dished out seven assists for a new career best.

GIVING TO CHARITY
The Liberty out-shot the Fever from the free throw line on Sunday, .857-.300 ... New York has equaled or bested its opponents from the line in 17 of the 23 games so far this season ... The team is currently shooting .831 from the charity stripe, which is tops in the WNBA.

DOUBLE VISION
Opponents are getting a double scoop of Becky Hammon and Ann Wauters this season ... Hammon has scored in double figures in seven straight games and 19 overall ... Wauters has reached double digits in 20 of the 23 games the Liberty has played so far in 2005 ... The two are leading the Liberty in scoring, as Wauters is averaging 13.8 ppg and Hammon is just slightly behind her with 13.7 ppg.

LUCKY NUMBER THREE
Tuesday will be the rubber match between the Liberty and Sun ... The teams have played twice already this season, with each team walking away with a win on its home court ... The Liberty defeated the Sun, 89-79, on July 7 in New York ... The Sun took a 73-70 win over the Liberty on July 28 in Connecticut.

MAKING A CAREER AGAINST CONNECTICUT
Ann Wauters and Shameka Christon both posted career numbers against the Sun when the two teams met last week ... Wauters set a new personal best in rebounds with 13, while Christon passed out seven assists in the game, a new best for her ... Wauters was also 7-8 from the free throw line, which tied her highest production from the line.

WHAT A GAME
Erin Thorn also put up some serious numbers against Connecticut on July 28 ... She played 24 minutes in the game, which is a new career high ... Her previous high was the 23 minutes Thorn played against Detroit on August 1, 2003 ... Her four field goals in the game tied her career best, also set in the 2003 Detroit game ... Thorn attempted nine shots against the Sun, a new career high ... The most shots she had attempted previously was seven, which she put up on three occasions ... Thorn rattled off 10 points last week in Connecticut, which is a 2005 high for her, surpassing the six points she scored on July 22 in Sacramento.

THREE'S A CROWD
The Liberty's tough defense has kept the Connecticut offense from shooting the long ball in both games between the two teams so far this season ... New York held the Sun to a mere .125 shooting percentage on three-pointers in both July 28's and July 7's games ... Connecticut was 1-8 from behind the arc in each game.

Check out the New York Liberty Statistics



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from August 1, 2005


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