New York could not overcome a 15-point deficit in front of 12,543 fans at Madison Square Garden to pull off a win over Detroit Sunday in their season opener.
After the first 20 minutes of play, the Liberty headed into the locker room down 29-40, with only their foul-shooting (90%) keeping them within reach. The Liberty shot a dismal 26.5% in the first half with six turnovers. "You just can't win games when you shoot 31% and you get out rebounded by 19. That just can't happen," said Liberty Head Coach, Pat Coyle.
Becky Hammon led all scorers with 24, 15 of which came in the second half, but Cheryl Ford put on a rebounding clinic, grabbing a game-high 12. "That's her job," laughed Bill Laimbeer, "her job is to rebound. She's one of the best rebounders in the league."
Detroit is looking strong at 2-0 without All-Star Swin Cash, and Laimbeer is still standing by his prediction for an undefeated Shock season. "The chemistry on this team is fantastic. Every player knows her job. There are no egos. It doesn't matter who's scoring, someone just needs to get the job done," explained Laimbeer.
The Liberty didn't look comfortable offensively in the first half, but tried to stage a comeback in front of their home fans in the second. With 10:36 remaining in the game, New York forced several key turnovers and capitalized, getting the New York crowd on its feet. Wauters tied the game at 51 from a pretty assist by La'Keshia Frett, with both teams trading baskets down the stretch. Detroit's Stacey Thomas had two key steals in the final six minutes to help spoil the Liberty's second home opener in franchise history.
Coach Coyle was disappointed with her team's execution, particularly in the first half. "We need to get the ball in the paint, especially when shots aren't dropping. If we had more patience, the ball would have gone inside more." Ann Wauters is New York's inside presence, shooting 6-12 with 14 points. The 6-4 center looked agile at different point offensively for the Liberty, but was clearly no match for the physical front line of Detroit.
The absence of Elena Baranova and Ann Wauters, two of the Liberty's starting-five, in most of training camp was definitely apparent. While Wauters still found ways to contribute, Baranova (four points and five rebounds in 22 minutes) clearly couldn't find her rhythm. She looked lost defensively and made several offensive miscues in several key moments down the stretch.
Positive signs for the Liberty included an energized Vickie Johnson, who scored 16 points and added five boards, two assists, and two blocked shots, plus valuable minutes by Frett (17 minutes, six points) and Shameka Christon (18 minutes, seven points).
Coyle promises a different team on Thursday night when the Liberty takes on Indiana (1-0) at Madison Square Garden. "On Thursday we're going to execute and look like the seasoned veterans that we are," she said. Coyle agreed that Crystal Robinson had a bad night, held scoreless in her 32 minutes on the court. "But the good thing about Crystal is that she won't let it happen again."
Photos Courtesy of Dara Onofrio
