Liberty’s Sugar Rodgers Comes off the Bench and is the Game’s Impact Player

After a tough three-game series, the New York Liberty is moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 13 years. This year’s team is one of the best group of women to ever play for the Liberty franchise. In case you’ve forgotten, this team has the best record in franchise history, as well as, in the WNBA for this season. The Liberty is the best defensive team in the league and they were also the first team to reach 20 wins in this year’s regular season. This group of seasoned veterans and flaming hot rookies have deemed themselves unstoppable.

WNBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals Game 3 Recap

Last night, New York defeated the Washington Mystics 79-74 in the final game of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Overall, the game was close but the players of New York came through and made big plays when it counted the most. In the opening quarter, Washington managed to outscore the Liberty by 10 points. Ivory Latta nailed three trey’s contributing 9 points to her team within the first seven minutes of the game. The Liberty struggled offensively in the first quarter giving Washington the opportunity to take control of the game.

The momentum of the game changed once Sugar Rodgers and Candice Wiggins came off the bench for the Liberty. Wiggins and Rodgers entered the second quarter dropping two threes apiece.

Wiggins was 4-of-4 from the 3-point range bringing her game total to 12 points. However, it was Rodgers who had the biggest impact on the team’s win. Rodgers went 10-of-10 from the free throw line and was the team’s second-leading scorer of the night with 20 points. Although Rodgers hasn’t had the best game stats all season long, her performance in last night’s game demonstrated the hard work she puts in when she is off the court. In a post-game interview Liberty center, Tina Charles raved about her teammates’ constant effort on and off the court.

“Sugars in the Gym 24/7, we have practice she comes back that night she never let up, she never complains, she just wants to keep getting better.” said Charles.

Rodgers wasn’t the only Liberty player who came scorching off the bench, rookie center, Kiah Stokes stepped up to the plate and solidified the team’s win after she nailed one of the most important blocks of her professional career.

New York Liberty rookie Kiah Stokes dishing out one of her famous blocks

With just seven seconds remaining and only three points separating the two teams, Washington’s secret weapon, Ivory Latta shoots for three in hopes to tie the game but Stokes deflected the shot leading to a defensive rebound by Liberty’s top vet, Tanisha Wright. Not only did Stokes save the game for the Liberty, she had a total of 13 rebounds for the night.

For the second game in a row, the Liberty’s bench has burned bright, contributing a total of 77 points for the team’s two semifinal wins. If New York wants a shot at being named the best in the East, they must keep up their momentum, as they take on the Indiana Fever in another best of three series. New York is under pressure to make history once again this season. The team has not won a conference title since 2002. The Liberty will take a shot at history tonight as they face-off against Indiana for game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Team Liberty follows Tina Charles’ lead to Gain Victory Over the Washington Mystics

The New York Liberty will head back to Madison Square Garden after defeating the Washington Mystics 86-68 in game two of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Liberty was in jeopardy of elimination after their double overtime upset against Washington, last Friday night. On Sunday, New York defeated the Mystics for the second time this season and the second time at the Verizon center. The Liberty has the best record in the WNBA for road wins, and its 18-point win over the Mystics proved exactly that.

New York Liberty’s Game 1 Double-Overtime Upset

The Liberty finished its regular season with the best record in the league (23-11). Having the best record helped the team receive home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. However, just three points prevented the team from winning its playoff debut at the World’s Most Famous Arena. New York took control during the first quarter of the game, leading the Mystics by as much as 10 points.

However, Washington came back with some answers for the Liberty in the second quarter, which created a narrow lead between the two teams. The teams tied 14 times throughout the game. The most crucial tie of the game came after the Mystic’s secret weapon, Ivory Latta, nailed a three-point shot with just 27 seconds remaining in normal regulation time.

Washington Mystics point guard Ivory Latta pushes past New York Liberty player to score three points.

Latta’s trey brought the score to 69-69. Liberty center, Tina Charles, completed a jump shot in the final 3 seconds almost brought her team to victory, but the shot was ruled as “no good” due to a shot clock violation. The Liberty’s small errors, 14 turnovers and 10 missed free throws, as well as, a handful of bad calls played a huge role in the team’s 86-83 Game One upset against Washington.

Game2: New York Liberty showed up and showed out at the Verizon Center

New York Liberty center Tina Charles led her team with 22 points in its Game 2 victory over the Washington Mystics. Seventeen of those points were made in the 3rd quarter alone. As a whole, the Liberty stepped up its game time performance. New York took its largest lead of 26 points late in the second half of the game, completely narrowing Washington’s chances at a comeback. The team had 12 steals, 33 rebounds and averaged 86.7% in free throws.

Additionally, 32 of the team’s 86 points came from the bench which proved that this victory was a complete team effort. Although the Liberty has a 1-4 regular season record against the Mystics, the New York team proved that it has what it takes to outplay and out-strategize Washington. If the Liberty wants to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2002, it has to take defensive control over the Mystics and play a solid offensive game.

The decisive Game 3 of the semifinals will take place tonight at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is scheduled at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The winner of tonight’s game will take on the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will battle it out to see who is the best team in the east?

Becky Hammon joins Liberty Ring of Honor

It was a great night for the New York Liberty franchise; it welcomed six-time WNBA all-star and former Liberty point guard, Becky Hammon into its Ring of Honor. Hammon joins Liberty Legends, Vicky Johnson, Rebecca Lobo, Theresa Weatherspoon, Sue Wicks and Kym Hampton. Becky Hammon is living proof that hard work beats talent. She entered the WNBA undrafted in 1999, and had to fight for a spot on the New York Liberty. Not only did Hammon become one of the best players to play for the Liberty franchise, she made history twice in the past two years. Hammon is the first woman to obtain a spot on the coaching staff of an NBA team and she is the first female to be a head coach for an NBA summer league team. Becky's induction to the Ring of Honor is well deserved; she is a great role model to the future generation of women’s basketball and an inspiration to all.

Liberty Snags Eastern Conference Top Spot

The night became even more special when the current leading ladies of the Liberty gained another home court win. This game allowed the Liberty to stand one full game ahead the Washington Mystics, securing their number one spot in the Eastern Conference. After dominating the second half of the game, New York proved that they can become contenders for a position in the playoffs. Tina Charles was on fire from start to finish, dropping a total of 29 points against the Storm, one point shy of her season high. Charles carried her team in both the first and second quarters scoring 14 points going into the half.

The Storm held onto the lead for the majority of the first quarter keeping the Liberty down by as little as three points. With just :02 seconds remaining in the first quarter, New York forward/guard, Essence Carson was able to squeeze in a layup to tie the game (23-23). The Liberty had just a one-point lead entering the half. Both teams struggled to make scoring plays during the second quarter and it wasn’t until after the half that the Liberty and point guard Epiphanny Prince showed up and balled out. New York quickly turned their one-point lead into 14 points after going on a 13-0 run in the first 4 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Prince dropped 9 of her 11 points in the third, helping her team take their biggest lead of 17 points.

The Storm battled it out through the fourth, managing to bring the Liberty’s lead down to single digits with a little over 7 minutes remaining in the game. However, the Liberty never allowed the Storm to take another shot at the lead. They walked away with a sixth straight win over the Storm and their 7th home court win. Though the Liberty secured the number one spot in the Eastern Conference, head coach Bill Laimbeer isn’t too sure if that will be enough for the team to be considered contenders for the playoffs.

“I don’t know yet,” said Laimbeer. “We still have a long way to go, the Eastern Conference is tough; got a lot of teams fighting in the Eastern Conference but I do know the first half of our season gave us a leg up and gave us some breathing room, but we can’t relax.”

With 14 more games left in the regular season, the Liberty does indeed have a long way to go. To the team’s advantage, more than half of those games will be played on their home court. The Liberty will return to Madison Square Garden on August 11th, where they will take on the 2014 Eastern Conference champs, the Chicago Sky for the third time this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm.

Losing is not an option at Madison Square Garden

For the fourth time this season, the New York Liberty has shown the Chicago Sky that there is no room for them in the winner’s circle. The team pulled out their first two wins against the Sky without the help of veteran guard Epiphany Prince, who spent 4 years playing for Chicago. After dropping a combined total of 52 points against the Sky, Prince has proven that the grass is greener on the other side. Prince has now led her team in points for the second game in a row.

She dropped a total of 22 points for the night, 10 of them were made in the first quarter alone. Rookie, Kiah Stokes also landed in the double digits and recorded her second career double-double with a total of 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Liberty are beginning to prove that they can still win games despite the performance of their leading scorer, Tina Charles who only contributed a total of 4 points to the team’s win.

Out the gate, the Liberty’s starting lineup dominated the court and displayed a great amount of chemistry that has been lacking in previous games this season. With help from the bench, New York ended the first quarter with a 9 point lead (26-17). After a sweet three made by Sugar Rodgers midway into the second quarter, the team brought their lead up to the double digits. However, the Sky turned up their defense and managed to pull the Liberty’s lead down to just 7 points before the half. Former Liberty guard, Cappie Pondexter made her first appearance at Madison Square Garden since being traded to the Sky in February. Pondexter made sure to leave her mark at the world’s most famous arena as she battled against her former team. Chicago struggled to pull through without help from their leading scorer, Elena Delle Donne who was out due to an ankle injury. Pondexter carried her team defensively and lead the way with a total of 23 points for the night.

Although a great effort was put forth by Chicago, the Liberty was sure to remind them whose court they were playing on. Not only did the Liberty intensify their defensive performance after the half, they displayed their accuracy from the three-point range. After a trio of three’s made by Essence Carson, Candice Wiggins, and Rodgers all in the third quarter, the Liberty took a 21 point lead, their largest of the night. Fortunately for New York, the three’s didn’t stop there, Brittany Boyd rose off the bench and closed out the game after she nailed a three-point shot with just 40 seconds remaining on the clock. The Liberty has now won 5 straight games at home and it stands 2.5 games in front of the Washington Mystics with a 15-6 record. New York will attempt to improve its 3-game winning streak on Friday night, August 14th, as they travel to the Mohegan Sun Arena to take on the Connecticut Sun. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm eastern standard time.

Tina Charles hits a milestone; and Becky Hammon continues to break through

Epiphanny Prince Returns Home

Epiphany Prince joins the New York Liberty after missing the first 10 games of the season due to a prior commitment with Russia's National Women's Team. In her season debut with the Liberty, Prince scored a total of 12 points and had 2 assists along with 3 rebounds.

Prior to the start of the season, Prince’s former team, the Chicago Sky, traded her to the Liberty for former Rutgers guard Cappie Pondexter. Prince also played for Rutgers. Both Prince and Pondexter are now playing for WNBA teams in their respective hometowns.

Tina Charles’ Big Show

Liberty forward Tina Charles scored her 3,000th career point during a recent overtime win against the Washington Mystics. Tina also scored the game winning shot! Go, Tina!!!

Becky Hammon Cutting Through Glass Ceiling

Becky Hammon scored another milestone. She is a coach of the NBA Summer League.

The New York Liberty secured a first place berth in the Eastern Conference after a 3-game winning streak. The ladies of New York hosted two back-to-back games against the San Antonio Stars (84-68) and the Connecticut Sun (64-57). They finished on top in Phoenix after a close game against the Mercury (75-73). They are currently the first team to reach 10 wins in the Eastern Conference and in the process turning in their best season performance since 2001.

On July 15th, the Liberty put on a show for a crowd of 18,617 people at Madison Square Garden for “Camp Day.” This was a special game for Brooklyn native Epiphany Prince because it was her first time playing on her hometown court with her new team. Prince was able to help the Liberty defeat the San Antonio Stars by contributing 13 points and 4 assists.

Epiphanny Prince helps the New York Liberty defeat the San Antonio Stars

After a tough game on the road against Atlanta, forward/guard Essence Carson fell out of the Liberty's starting line-up. Carson started 12 games this season but her inability to put points on the board during the team's defeat against the Dream landed her on the bench for the games following the team’s fifth loss of the season. However being on the bench did not stop Carson from helping her team bring on another victory. Carson led the Liberty in points, scoring a season high of 16 points off the bench against San Antonio.

Essence Carson comes off the bench to help the New york Liberty to victory

To bring home another win, the Liberty had no choice but to carry on their momentum into the following night’s game against the Connecticut Sun. The team struggled a great deal in the first two quarters. New York was down by as much as 8 points in the second quarter, a clutch 3-point goal by hometown hero Epiphany Price, followed by a mega block made by rookie Kiah Stokes prevented the Sun from taking a double-digit lead over the Liberty. Upon entering the second half, New York was down by five points (33-28), but within the first three minutes of the 3rd quarter, the Liberty were able to turn their five-point deficit into a 3-point lead.

Liberty's Kiah Stokes blocks shot of Sun's Kelsey Bones

The third quarter was the holding place for New York’s biggest plays. All-Star, Tina Charles scored 9 of her 22 points, veteran Swin Cash showed that she still has game after she nailed a 3-point field goal with less than five minutes remaining in the quarter. Cash’s three-pointer changed the momentum of the game; the Liberty intensified their defense and continued to dominate Connecticut's offense throughout the fourth quarter. After making five out of her eight blocks in the third quarter, Kiah Stokes sealed the deal on completing her franchise record once she swatted away Connecticut's, Kelsey Bones attempted layup with 4:24 remaining in the game. By this point in the game, the energy in the world’s most famous arena was through the roof. The Liberty kept their defense tight making it difficult for the Sun to take another lead for the remainder of the game. New York solidified yet another home win and their first place position in the Eastern Conference standings.

New York will attempt to continue their winning streak on the road for the next four games as they take on the West Coast. They will return home on August 2nd for the Liberty’s annual Ring of Honor induction. Six-time All-Star and current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach, Becky Hammon will be presented with the honor this year. Tip-off is scheduled for 3pm.

Tina Charles scored a season low 6 points in Liberty’s Loss to Mystics

The New York Liberty struggled to maintain its home-court winning streak, as it fell to the Washington Mystics (74-59) on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The team shot a season low 31-percent from the field after making a season-high of 71 attempted field goals. Essence Carson and Sugar Rodgers were the leading scorers for the Liberty with 12 points apiece. After leading the team for the past 3 games, Tina Charles scored a season-low 6 points.

New York Liberty guard Ta'Shauna "Sugar" Rodgers

Both teams experienced some trouble getting points on the scoreboard in the first quarter. It took three defensive rebounds, and 1 steal by guard Ivory Latta, for the Mystics to score its first 2 points of the game. After a strong defensive battle on the court, the teams barely made it into the double digits with a 12-12 tie at the end of the first quarter. The Liberty’s offensive decisions eventually pulled through in the beginning of the second quarter, allowing them to outscore the Mystics 9-3. However, the Mystics picked up quickly with just 2:21 remaining in the first half with a 13-0 run.

Washington managed to bring its lead up to as many as 15 points in the third quarter of the game. Although the Liberty were able to get their lead down to the single digits in the fourth, the Mystics made it nearly impossible for the Liberty to take the lead for another time in the remainder of the game.

Ivory Latta was the top scorer of the game with a total of 20 points; she also scored 3 out of 10 3-pointers for her team. Washington shot 44.3 percent and made 27 field goals which is a season high for a Liberty opponent. This was the second time that the Liberty had fallen to the Mystics this season. In the teams’ first meeting, the Liberty trailed by just 5 points. Head Coach, Bill Laimbeer believed this game exposed how much the team relies on their leading scorer, Tina Charles.

“We count so much on Tina (Charles) to score and she had a really bad game offensively... We have to find other ways to score. We’ve been getting by until tonight.”

Despite this loss bringing the Liberty down to the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings, with a 2-2 record, Guard Essence Carson keeps a positive outlook for the rest of the season.

New York Liberty guard/forward Essence Carson

“It’s a tough loss, but we will rebound from it and look to come out better. It is only the beginning.”

The Liberty will continue the remainder of its season without rookie forward, Rebecca Allen. She is out due to a cartilage injury to her right knee and will return to Australia where she will undergo surgery. The Liberty will try to grab another home court win on Friday, June 19th at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.

Ta'Shauna "Sugar" Rodgers

Check out Naomi Grey and the rest of the What's The 411Sports Panel Discuss the New York Liberty 

Although the New York Liberty struggled during the preseason, the New York women's basketball team opened its season strong beating the Atlanta Dream 82-73.

In front of the home crowd at Madison Square Garden, Tina Charles led the way for the team with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Swin Cash added 15 points, 11 of those coming in the second half on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Brittany Boyd was a source of energy in the first half, where she scored 12 of her 14 points and dished out three assists.

Atlanta Dream’s Angel McCoughtry scored 27, with 14 in the second half with Tiffany Hayes adding 17 of her own including three 3-pointers.

 Watch What's The 411Sports Episode 35

In this 35th episode of What's The 411Sports, we show off our new set and have a jam-packed discussion about:

Serena Williams

American Pharoah

The FIFA Scandal

The New York Liberty

David Wright of the New York Mets

Bleacher reports list of the 50 Greatest Quarterbacks

Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson's Marriage Annulment

Lewis Hamilton's Win of the Canadian Formula 1 Race

In the Dog House are: Brandon Spikes; FIF; and Brian Matusz

New York Liberty veteran Tina Charles had team-high 12 points despite loss

It seems as if the ladies of the New York Liberty are still fighting to find their team chemistry, after Wednesday’s 85-72 preseason loss to the Atlanta Dream.

The Liberty started off strong, in what can be considered a successful first half. They managed to maintain a 7 point lead after a series of baskets made by starters Kiah Stokes, Tanisha Wright and Essence Carson.

Unfortunately, the Liberty had 9 turnovers which allowed Atlanta to take the lead at the end of the first quarter. Liberty guard, Sugar Rodgers came through with a fast break layup that helped the Liberty gain a 5 point lead with 6:21 remaining in the first half. However, the Liberty fell behind at the half resulting in a 44-39 Atlanta lead.

The team experienced many difficulties during the third quarter, where the Dream took their biggest lead of 18 points after a turn-around jump shot made by rookie Samantha Logic.
It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter, when the Liberty made an outstanding turnaround with a 14-0 run. A foul charged to Logic bought Rodgers to the line where she went 1of 1, helping the Liberty bring Atlanta’s lead down to 11 points.

Though much effort was put forth by the Liberty in the remaining minutes of the second half, they failed to bring Atlanta’s lead down to single digits. Four players from the Liberty scored in double figures. Vet. Tina Charles led the pack with 12 points, Rebecca Allen (11), Sugar Rodgers (11), and Essence Carson(10). Rookie center Kiah Stokes almost reached her second double-double of the preseason finishing up with 9 points and 11 rebounds.

Following Wednesday’s game, the team made the decision to waive guard Amber Orrange and center Shanece Mckinney. Orrange was the Liberty’s second round draft pick, drafted 23rd overall. She made an appearance in both preseason games averaging 6.5 minutes per game. Mckinney played two seasons with the Liberty, after joining them as an undrafted free agent. She averaged 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. She, too, appeared in both of the Liberty’s preseason games making one start. Head coach Bill Laimbeer made the official announcement early Thursday morning.

“I want to thank Amber and Shanece for all of the hard work they put forth during our training camp, I am excited about the team we are putting together, as we continue to prepare for opening night against Atlanta next Friday.”

New York will go on to face the Minnesota Lynx in their final preseason game on Monday night in Minneapolis. The team will return to Madison Square Garden next Friday, June 5th, to host the Atlanta Dream in the regular season opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30p.m.