Indiana Makes Quick Work Of New York, 77-44

STAR OF THE GAME TAMIKA WHITMORE Whitmore finished with a game-high 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Nine of her 14 points came in the first quarter and all 14 were scored in the first half. UNSUNG HERO ANNA DEFORGE DeForge scored 13 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor, and added a game-high seven rebounds and game-high three steals. QUOTABLE BRIAN WINTERS In general: “We knew we had to come in and have a good defensive effort. Our defense on the perimeter and pick-and-roll was as good as we’ve played all year. On offense, I thought we did a lot of things well. We played a very good overall game.” On being able to use the bench: “We knew that we have a back-to-back tomorrow and two straight games against Connecticut. My goal is for us to play well going into the playoffs. We did that tonight and we also got a chance to rest some starters in the fourth quarter.” HIDDEN NUMBERS Points in the paint: Fever 38, Liberty 20 Second-chance points: Fever 17, Liberty 6 Fast-break points: Fever 2, Liberty 2 Points off turnovers: Fever 24, Liberty 7 Starters scoring: Fever 48, Liberty 20 Bench scoring: Fever 29, Liberty 24

GAME REPORT
	Fever 77, Liberty 44
August 8, 2006 at Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) Box Score | WNBA Recap

NEW YORK – The Indiana Fever outscored the New York Liberty 21-5 in the third quarter before cruising to a 77-44 road win Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden. The 33-point win was Indiana’s largest margin of victory this season, and second-largest in franchise history.

New York’s 44 points Tuesday was the lowest single-game total for any team in the WNBA this season. The lopsided score gave head coach Brian Winters an opportunity to use his bench early, and rest his starters as Indiana prepares for its first round playoff series with the Detroit Shock.

Tamika Whitmore scored a game-high 14 points, with nine of her 14 coming in the first quarter. Anna DeForge followed with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, to go along with a game-high seven rebounds and game-high three steals for Indiana (20-11).

Cathrine Kraayeveld led New York with 13 points, while Ashley Battle contributed 10 points off the bench for the Liberty (9-23).

The Fever scored the first 11 points of the game, with seven coming from Whitmore. New York didn’t break the scoring column until the 4:29 mark of the first when Loree Moore was able to knock down a 3-pointer. New York scored just six first quarter points, shooting 2-of-11 from the field.

Indiana went on a 15-2 run before jumping out to a 26-8 lead midway through the second quarter. The Fever led by as many as 22 in the second before leading 38-22 at halftime. Whitmore led all scorers with 14 points in the first half.

Following a 9-0 run to open the third quarter, Indiana extended its lead to 25 points. Tully Bevilaqua’s 3-point shot from the right wing made the score 47-22, Indiana. The Fever went on to outscore the Liberty 21-5 in the third quarter and led 59-27 after three.

Indiana led by as many as 39 in the fourth quarter before cruising to its 20th win of the season.