Powell's shooting leads Monarchs past Liberty
Photo credit: Newsday/Joe Epstein | 7/23/09, New York: Essence Carson #17 of the New york Liberty takes a shot over two Sacramento Monarchs defenders at Madison Square Garden. New York,NY 7/23/09 8:13:58 PM photo by Joe Epstein
Nicole Powell had her way with the Liberty.
The Sacramento Monarchs forward spotted up behind the three-point arc time after time, sinking the Liberty further and further into a hole it would never escape.
Behind Powell, who scored 32 points, the Monarchs defeated the Liberty, 88-73, last night in front of 8,845 at Madison Square Garden.
"She was getting some daylight on those three-point shots and that is pretty much it," Liberty guard Essence Carson (career-high 20 points) said of Powell, who was 5-for-8 from three-point range. "She was just doing what she does, hitting the long ball."
Powell, who was named as an injury replacement for Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie for tomorrow's All-Star Game, went 12-for-16 from the field and also grabbed nine rebounds.
Monarchs guard Kara Lawson finished with 15 points and DeMaya Walker chipped in 13.
The Liberty (6-9), which came into the game in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference standings, had a chance to record its first three-game winning streak of the season. But it squandered the chance to carry some much-needed momentum into the brief All-Star break against the Western Conference's worst team.
"I think it's safe to say that we can point the finger at our defense," said forward Shameka Christon (14 points), who was selected as a reserve for the All-Star Game.
The lack of a strong inside presence also hurt the team. Center Janel McCarville and forward Cathrine Kraayeveld struggled to get into an offensive groove. Five of McCarville's nine points were earned at the foul line and Kraayeveld, who also finished with nine points, picked up three fouls by halftime.
The Liberty, which trailed 45-37 at the half, cut a nine-point deficit to four with 6:20 left in the game on Carson's three-pointer, a pair of free throws by Christon and a basket by McCarville.
But the Monarchs (4-15), sparked by Powell's hot hand and the Liberty's stagnant defense, went on a 14-1 run over the next four minutes to balloon their lead to 17. Sacramento had lost six straight entering the game, including four in a row since general manager John Whisenant took over as coach of the team.
"Every game at home is huge," Liberty coach Pat Coyle said. "You have to win on your own floor. It's so tough to win on the road in this league that you have to win at home."
