Shorthanded Liberty thumps Silver Stars

NEWARK -- The Liberty's pregame warm-ups were sluggish -- excusable, sure, after a game in Atlanta the night before -- but they weren't expected to be dangerous. Then guard Essence Carson was struck in the right eye with a basketball.

"I've known Essence more than eight years," teammate Cappie Pondexter said, "and I'd never seen her cry. So I knew it was pretty intense."

Carson is the team's second-leading scorer at 14.4 points per game and a valued offensive threat off the bench, but by the opening tip Friday, she was on her way to the hospital to get her eye examined. That left the tired Liberty shorthanded against the team with the league's best record, the San Antonio Silver Stars.

So that was the inauspicious setting for the Liberty's 81-75 win in front of 6,714 at the Prudential Center, a victory that could be considered the team's best of the season. With defensive tenacity, the Liberty (5-5) made up for whatever offensive firepower it lacked without Carson.

"We've been looking for that spark," coach John Whisenant said. "We played together. They were pulling for each other."

After being outhustled on the glass in the first half -- San Antonio (7-2) pulled down 10 offensive rebounds to the Liberty's three -- Whisenant addressed the team at halftime with those figures in mind. In the second half, the Stars were boxed out more effectively.

"We did all of the small things to put us in position to win," said Pondexter, who scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half.

The Liberty also had six steals, forced five turnovers and three shot-clock violations, and held San Antonio to 34.2-percent shooting.

With 42.7 seconds remaining and the Liberty ahead 79-75, forward Nicole Powell drew a charge on the Stars' Danielle Adams to effectively seal the win. "I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time," Powell said.

Carson is expected to be ready to play in the Liberty's next game at San Antonio Friday. She walked into the locker room after the game wearing sunglasses but was smiling. Her teammates had proved capable without her.