WNBA New York Liberty

See the Liberty take on the Sparks on Wednesday

Published on August 9, 2005 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
New York Liberty News Release


Wednesday will be a battle of the coasts at The Garden. East will meet West when New York hosts Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m. Becky Hammon and Ann Wauters will lead the Liberty up against Lisa Leslie, Chamique Holdsclaw and the Sparks. The Liberty is in the thick of a playoff race, so come cheer your team on to another victory on Wednesday!

Don't miss your chance to meet Vickie Johnson and Ann Wauters! The two players will be at Play by Play after their game with LA. Everyone entering the restaurant will receive a raffle ticket and 50 lucky winners will receive VJ and Ann's autographs!

While you're at Play by Play, make sure to take advantage of the specials they will be featuring for Wednesday only. You will be able to enjoy import drafts for only $3 and margaritas for just $4. Plus, take $2 off all salads.

You can also save at the concession stands on Wednesday! Ranch 1 chicken sandwiches are $2 off. And tasty items like cracker jacks, gummi bears and push up pops are always just $1 and $2 on the "$weet Treat$" menu.

You know there's always a great deal to be had at the Team Store! Make sure to stop in on Wednesday so you can buy one head or wristband and get a second one free. And all youth and adult On Court merchandise will be buy one get the second half off.

Park at Meyers to save big on Wednesday! Take your ticket stub or proof of payment to the game to the Meyers indoor lot on 31st Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, and pay just $20 on Wednesday.

Be there for the East Coast-West Coast battle on Wednesday! Buy your tickets now at the MSG Box Office, by phone at 877-WNBA-TIX or online at nyliberty.com.

See you Wednesday at The Garden!

THE MATCH-UP
New York hosts the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday in a 7:30 p.m. game at Madison Square Garden ... This will be the second contest between the two teams this season ... New York is currently 13-13 (.500) and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE LOS ANGELES SPARKS (8-10)
Overall the Liberty is just below the .500 mark against the Sparks ... Two of the eight original WNBA teams, New York has won eight of the 18 games it has played against LA since 1997 ... Most recently, the Liberty defeated the Sparks, 67-55, on July 5 in the first 2005 meeting between the teams ... Wednesday will be the second and last match-up between New York and LA this season.

TEAM NOTES
DOUBLE OR NOTHING
Ann Wauters has been doubling up on Detroit ... She recorded her fourth double-double of the season on Sunday against the Shock when she recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds ... Her first double dip of 2005 came the last time the Liberty and Shock met ... Wauters had 12 points and 11 boards in the June 12 game as well.

LET'S JUST CALL IT EVEN
After Sunday's loss in Detroit, New York once again hovers at the .500 mark ... The team is 13-13 and sports an even record for the eighth time this season ... The Liberty does has a winning record at home, 7-6 (.538), and will look to build on that Wednesday with a victory over Los Angeles at The Garden.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
While the Liberty has 13 losses under its belt right now, several of those games could have gone either way ... Six of the 13 were decided by five points or less, and five more were determined by 6-10 points ... The team has lost by an average of six points per game this season.

IS THAT ACCURATE
New York posted a higher field goal percentage than the Shock on Sunday ... The Liberty out-shot the Shock, .455-.433 ... It was the 14th game this season that New York has shot the same as or better than its opponent from the field ... The team is 10-4 in those games.

BACK STAGE
Sunday's game in Detroit wrapped up New York's third and final back-to-back of the season ... The Liberty went 3-3 in back-to-back situations this year ... In the latest round, New York defeated Seattle on Saturday then lost in Detroit on Sunday ... Earlier in the season, the team defeated Phoenix on July 21 and Sacramento on July 22, then fell to Houston on July 27 and Connecticut on July 28.

SHE KRAAYEVES ATTENTION
Liberty rookie Cathrine Kraayeveld has taken advantage of her time off the bench ... She put up career numbers in Sunday's game against the Shock ... Kraayeveld played 18 minutes in the game, the most action she has seen as a pro ... She netted eight points to go along with three rebounds, all offensive, in the contest ... Those marks are all personal bests.

THE SULTAN OF SWAT
Ann Wauters was batting away practically everything the Shock threw her way on Sunday ... She posted four blocked shots in the game ... That ties her career high ... It was the third time in her career that Wauters has swatted four shots in a game.

SEEING DOUBLE
Becky Hammon and Ann Wauters continue to rack up the points this season ... Hammon has scored in double figures in 10 straight games and 22 overall ... Wauters has reached double digits in 23 of the 25 games the Liberty has played so far in 2005 ... The two are leading the Liberty in scoring, as Hammon is averaging 14.1 ppg and Wauters is just behind her with 13.7 ppg.

NOW BOARDING
Ann Wauters was all over the boards against the Shock on Sunday ... She had 11 total rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end, which ties a career best for Wauters ... Sunday was the second time in her career, and this season, that Wauters has nabbed 10 D-boards ... She also did so on July 28 in Connecticut.

WE SHOULD DO THIS AGAIN SOMETIME
Wednesday will be the second time New York and Los Angeles play in 2005 ... The Liberty defeated the Sparks , 67-55, in LA on July 5 ... Vickie Johnson led four Liberty players in double figures with 18 points ... Becky Hammon had a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists ... Lisa Leslie had 17 points and four rebounds to pace the Sparks.

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT
New York's win over Los Angeles on July 5 broke a losing streak against the Sparks ... New York had not defeated LA since July 18, 2002 ... The win at the Staples Center was the first for the Liberty in LA since June 21, 1998.

CHALK IT UP AS A W
The Liberty takes a winning record at home into Wednesday's game against Los Angeles ... New York is 5-4 against the Sparks at The Garden ... The last LA MSG win for the Liberty came on July 18, 2002 ... The team looks to build on its winning record on Wednesday when the Sparks are in town.

ASSISTED LIVING
Becky Hammon's 10 assists in the July 5 game in Los Angeles tied a career high ... She had previously recorded 10 helpers on June 29, 2004 against none-other than LA ... Hammon's 4.3 apg currently ranks her seventh in the WNBA.

PERFECTION
The Liberty was perfect from the charity stripe in the July 5 win over the Sparks ... The team hit all 14 of the free throws it attempted ... It was the second time this season New York was perfect from the line ... The Liberty was 6-6 on June 10 in Indiana.

DOUBLE TIME
Becky Hammon recorded her only double-double of the season so far when the Liberty played the Sparks on July 5 ... She recorded 12 points and 10 assists in the 67-55 win over Los Angeles ... Ann Wauters, Elena Baranova and Vickie Johnson have also posted double-doubles this season.

THE DEFENSE DOES NOT REST
New York's stifling defense on July 5 kept Sparks superstar Chamique Holdsclaw in check ... She scored just 10 points to go along with four rebounds, quite a reduction in her normal performance ... Holdsclaw had been averaging 20 ppg and 8 rpg going into the Liberty game and was the only player in the WNBA to average 20 points ... She is currently averaging 18 ppg and just under seven boards a game.

Check out the New York Liberty Statistics

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from August 9, 2005


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