Liberty rallies, but falls to Minnesota

A messy third quarter ruined two things for the Liberty last night: a fourth-quarter comeback and what could have been coach Anne Donovan's 150th career victory.

Despite a late 17-6 run, the Liberty could not make up for eight turnovers in the third quarter and lost, 75-68, to the Minnesota Lynx at the Garden.

After a back-and-forth contest in the first half, things unraveled for the Liberty (4-7). Sloppy ballhandling contributed to the Liberty's scoring drought in the final 41/2 minutes of the third quarter.

Rebekkah Brunson had a big game for Minnesota (5-9) with 21 points, including 17 in the third quarter. Her three-point play began the Lynx's run. Trapped beneath the hoop on the next possession, Plenette Pierson turned over a pass and Seimone Augustus eventually nailed a three-pointer from the corner for Minnesota.

Another turnover by the Liberty, another basket by Brunson, and the margin widened to eight. The downward spiral took full effect when the Liberty lost the ball again and although the Lynx did not score on the turnover, Nikki Blue airballed a three and was taken out on the ensuing timeout. The quarter ended with the Lynx up by 14.

It was the third consecutive win for the Lynx. They were led by Augustus, who had 20 points and is averaging nearly that over her last five games since returning from ACL and abdominal surgery. The victory was Minnesota's first at Madison Square Garden since a 64-60 win on July 15, 2005.

A bright spot for the Liberty was Nicole Powell. She was the catalyst of the Liberty's comeback, scoring seven of her 16 points in the fourth quarter. Her layup cut the lead to five and a three-pointer ignited the crowd with seven minutes remaining. Cappie Pondexter's clutch free-throw shooting gave her team its first lead of the second-half with three minutes left in the game, but she shot only 2-for-12 from the field.