Christon, offense cold as Seattle tops Liberty
Shameka Christon kept shooting. And still, nothing would drop.
Finally, with 13 seconds to go, the Liberty forward connected on a three-pointer. But by then, it was too late.
Last night when the Liberty desperately needed another victory to continue its unlikely push toward the playoffs, the team's best scorer made only 2 of 15 shots. Christon scored a season-low seven points as the Liberty fell to the Seattle Storm, 65-58, in front of 8,469 fans at the Garden.
With Liberty center Janel McCarville saddled with early foul trouble and Christon a non-factor, Cathrine Kraayeveld picked up most of the scoring load. The 6-4 forward finished with a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds, scoring six points in the first quarter to jump-start the Liberty's lackluster offense. She also hit back-to-back threes during an 8-2 third-quarter run, but she was held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Rookie center Kia Vaughn (11 points) picked up the slack in the fourth, scoring back-to-back baskets inside, converting a three-point play on the latter to give the Liberty a 53-51 lead with 5:11 remaining.
But the Storm continued to take advantage of Liberty fouls. Seattle regained a two-point lead on a pair of foul shots from Janell Burse and back-to-back jumpers by Swin Cash and Sue Bird gave the Storm a 59-55 lead - its largest of the fourth quarter - with 1:15 remaining. After a Liberty timeout, Christon's short jumper dinged off the side of the rim. She later hit a three to pull the Liberty to within 63-58 with 13.8 seconds on the clock.
The Liberty committed 25 fouls, compared to 17 by Seattle.
To make matters worse for the Liberty, Detroit defeated Phoenix, 101-99. Coming into last night's game, the Liberty (12-18) trailed Chicago, Connecticut and Detroit by 1 1/2 games for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.
Seattle (19-11) began a three-game road trip without its star forward/center, 6-5 Lauren Jackson, who is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in her back. But her absence didn't slow the Storm too much. Seattle still outrebounded the Liberty 40-29.
Camille Little had 17 points for Seattle and Bird scored 12.
