Pondexter lifts Liberty over Storm

NEWARK -- After the Liberty scored just 59 points in an ugly win over Chicago last Thursday, head coach and general manager John Whisenant promptly made a trade.

He acquired veteran center Kara Braxton from Phoenix, a move designed to reinforce the frontcourt depth that also hinted at some desperation. Maybe Braxton could inject some new life into the squad.

Tuesday night, the Liberty still lacked for offense but not for drama. A clutch, go-ahead transition layup by Cappie Pondexter with 41.1 seconds remaining led to a 58-56 Liberty win over Seattle in a nail-biter at the Prudential Center.

Late in the fourth, a three-pointer by the Storm's Katie Smith with 2:10 remaining was followed by a pick-and-roll layup by Ashley Robinson 30 seconds later to give Seattle a 56-55 lead. But after a miss by the Storm, Pondexter raced with the ball upcourt and kissed her righthanded layup off the glass for the eventual winner.

A layup by the Storm's Swin Cash with 3.3 seconds remaining, contested by Pondexter, fell short. Seattle had another attempt to win with 2.7 to go but Sue Bird's runner was blocked from behind by Essence Carson.

Pondexter finished with 19 points. Bird had 17 points for the Storm (12-10), with Smith adding 11 off the bench.

Coming in, the Liberty (13-9) was averaging just 74.7 points per game in its previous four games (2-2), and while defense is Whisenant's forte, the lack of production was troubling. Field-goal percentage was down, turnovers were up, and a consistent scoring threat outside of Pondexter was not always present.

Tuesday night, Pondexter's supporting cast again struggled. Plenette Pierson, who began the game 3-for-3 from the field, finished 4-for-11 for a total of 10 points. Center Kia Vaughn went 0-for-4 from the floor for one point and Braxton added just four.

The Liberty managed to build an eight-point lead in the first half and went into halftime ahead, 32-29.