Defense bails out cold-shooting Liberty

NEWARK -- Written on a whiteboard in the Liberty locker room was a list of 10 keys for the team to execute in Thursday's game against the Chicago Sky. After six defensive points, No. 7 read: "Be assertive on offense."

This summarizes John Whisenant's coaching philosophy: Defense is the priority. He was pleased the team responded with a comeback victory over Chicago, 59-49, in front of 10,133. And he didn't seem bothered by the Liberty's lackluster shooting (24-for-64, 37.5 percent).

"I don't worry about the offense," Whisenant said. "All the offenses in the WNBA and the NBA are about the same. There's only so much you can do with the 24-second clock."

The Liberty's defense once again bailed out the offense, holding the Sky to a WNBA-record-low one point -- that's right, one -- in the fourth quarter. The Sky shot 0-for-10 from the field, allowing the Liberty to come back from a 48-43 deficit.

Nicole Powell scored seven of her 13 points in the fourth quarter. Cappie Pondexter finished with 15 points.

Pondexter said she has had Achilles soreness the past few games, which could be why her scoring has been down. She switched her bright orange sneakers for some white low-tops recently.

Pondexter shook off concern about her heel and the team's offensive slump. "There are common-knowledge things that we can work on," she said. "Spacing, moving without the basketball, setting screens, reversing the ball. We just have to remember the little things."

The Liberty averages nearly 84 points per game on the road compared with 77 at home. Whisenant said he has brought this up to his coaching staff. "Maybe it's because we don't have a lot of time here," he said. "We don't practice here."

The Liberty had more turnovers (nine) than field goals (six) and more rebounds (15) than points (14) with five minutes left in the second quarter, and finished with its second-lowest scoring output of the season.

The saving grace was the defense. The Sky shot 34 percent and had 22 turnovers. Maybe it was the Thunderstix in the background. Maybe it was the noon tipoff or the quick turnaround after Tuesday's game in Atlanta. Whatever the factors, the result was good enough for the Liberty to put the poor offensive effort behind it.

"That just happens in this game -- you just don't shoot the ball well," Powell said. "To be a good team, you have to be able to play an overall game, and that's why we won today."