Liberty-Dream Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Sep 06 2010 1:41PM

After setting a record with 17 consecutive losses during their inaugural season in 2008, the Atlanta Dream have a chance to reach their first WNBA finals in franchise history with a sweep of the New York Liberty on Tuesday in the East finals.

The Dream, who went 4-30 in their first season, won 81-75 at New York on Sunday and showed no ill effects from its nine-day layoff. Atlanta had not played since Aug. 27 after sweeping the No. 1 seed Washington Mystics in the conference semifinals.

"The Atlanta Dream just refused to lose tonight," coach and general manager Marynell Meadors said after the victory. "(We) played well. We showed a few of the effects of possibly that layoff between games, but I thought we really fought hard."

Angel McCoughtry led the Dream with 21 points and also contributed five rebounds.

"Angel is that type of player," Meadors said of the second-year forward who was rookie of the year last season. "She's been that way her entire career, which is short in the WNBA."

Starting center Sancho Lyttle also played well for the Dream, adding 18 points and grabbing a game-high 13 boards.

"We found ways to be big, and I thought Sancho Lyttle was definitely a huge factor in our success tonight," Meadors said. "We have to look back at the way we built the Atlanta Dream. It's built on speed, quickness, depth and balance."

If the Liberty want to keep their championship dream alive, they will need three-time All Star and 2007 WNBA Finals MVP Cappie Pondexter to lead the way.

Pondexter scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the floor in Game 1, but will need to elevate her play if the Liberty want to bring the series back to New York.

``I don't know what our mindset was coming into the game, but I don't think it was aggressive enough,'' Pondexter said. ``Atlanta did a great job of just coming out with energy because sometimes when you have too many days off you come out really flat, but they didn't.''

New York was without its leading rebounder Janel McCarville, who has not played since Aug. 29 due to a sprained left ankle. Her status for this game is unknown.

The Liberty have won at Atlanta, winning 90-83 on Aug. 13. Pondexter led the way with 31 points while going a perfect 13 of 13 from the line.

If necessary, the decisive Game 3 will be Thursday at New York.

The winner of this series will face the Seattle Storm in the WNBA Finals, and Game 1 will be at Seattle on Sunday.

McCoughtry's 42 lead Dream past Liberty, 105-93

By CHARLES ODUM
Posted Sep 07 2010 10:04PM

ATLANTA (AP) Angel McCoughtry scored a career-high 42 points to win a high-scoring duel with Cappie Pondexter, and the Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 105-93 on Tuesday night to complete their unlikely march to the WNBA finals.

Pondexter led New York with 36 points, her postseason high mark, and nine assists.

The Dream, the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, swept Washington in the first round before also winning two straight over the Liberty in the conference finals.

Atlanta, a third-year expansion franchise which set a league record with 30 losses only two years ago, will face the Western Conference champion Seattle Storm in the WNBA finals. The best-of-five series begins Sunday in Seattle.

Atlanta players jumped on the scorer's table and streamers fell from the Philips Arena rook after the final buzzer.

The Dream led by 14 late in the first half before New York rallied to pull even at 73-73 entering the fourth quarter.

Atlanta's Coco Miller, who had 19 points, opened the final period with a 3-pointer. New York took its last lead at 77-76 on a basket by Taj McWilliams-Franklin. McCoughtry answered with two free throws, and the Dream extended the lead in the final 8 minutes.

McCoughtry's previous career high was 34 points.

Erika DeSouza had 15 points and Iziane Castro Marques had 11 for Atlanta.

Essence Carson had 20 points and Plenette Pierson added 13 before fouling out for New York.

Atlanta was second in the league with its regular-season average of 85.4 points per game. The Dream picked up the scoring pace by scoring 98 points per game in the first-round series against Washington.

Dream coach Marynell Meadors tweaked her lineup against Washington. A smaller look only added to Atlanta's fast-break potential, and the Dream kept up the up-tempo pace against New York.

With McCoughtry leading the way, the Dream had 19 fast-break points in the first half and led 55-44 at the break.

The Liberty opened the second half with a 14-4 run to cut Atlanta's lead to 59-58.

McCoughtry responded with back-to-back baskets for Atlanta.

Tempers flared and players had to be separated with 5:53 remaining in the third period following McWilliams-Franklin's foul on DeSouza, who had an animated reaction and was called for a technical foul. Meadors and the Dream argued the call.

There was another delay later in the period due to a clock malfunction.

New York continued its comeback, finally pulling even for the first time at 70-all on a three-point play by Carson. A 3-pointer by Pondexter gave New York the lead, before the period ended with the second tie of the game, at 73-all.

New York's Janel McCarville missed her third straight game with a sprained ankle. McCarville was with the team but was not in uniform.

• Liberty: --
• Dream: --

• Liberty: --
• Dream: DeSouza

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #4 Sue Blauch, #17 Scott Twardoski, #38 Lamont Simpson
• Attendance: 9045
• Duration: 2:19