Liberty-Silver Stars Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Jul 07 2011 1:41PM

After a fantastic first month, the San Antonio Silver Stars opened July with a tough loss at Madison Square Garden.

They didn't have to wait too long to get another crack at beating the New York Liberty.

With a week's break separating this home-and-home set, the Silver Stars look to get back on track Friday night at the AT&T Center and avoid falling to the Liberty for a fifth straight time.

San Antonio (7-2) won seven of its eight games in June to grab first place in the Western Conference, and had a chance to notch its second four-game winning streak of the season last Friday at MSG.

A poor shooting performance ensured that wouldn't happen. The Silver Stars shot a season-low 34.2 percent and missed 23 of 30 attempts from beyond the arc in an 81-75 loss.

"We didn't play particularly well,'' said San Antonio guard Becky Hammon, who had 16 points against her former team. "We didn't execute our defensive game plan the way we wanted to and we didn't shoot the ball well. It's hard to win when you shoot 35 percent."

The Silver Stars haven't played particularly well against the Liberty for a while. Last week's defeat was their fourth consecutive in the series. They've shot 40.6 percent and averaged 69.8 points in those losses.

Getting Essence Carson back could help New York (5-5) continue its dominance of San Antonio. Carson, who had averaged 15.9 points in her previous seven games, missed last week's win with traumatic iritis to her right eye but is expected to play Friday.

While Cappie Pondexter led the way with 19 points last week for the Liberty, it was Plenette Pierson who made the difference down the stretch. Pierson scored 10 of her 14 points in the final 4:08.

She's averaged 16.0 points and shot 58.9 percent in New York's wins, as opposed to 10.2 points while shooting 46.7 percent in her team's losses.

"I'm a veteran in this league. I've been there, done that many times before,'' Pierson said. "It's not how you play the entire game, it's how you finish."

Silver Stars forward Danielle Adams has been playing like a seasoned veteran, leading all rookies at 16.2 points per game. She had a team-high 19 against the Liberty despite missing seven of nine 3-point attempts.

Adams is shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc overall, though, and has an impressive inside-outside game - she's also second on the team with 4.7 rebounds per game.

Liberty rookie Sydney Colson, her teammate at Texas A&M, knows Adams' game well.

"She can shoot outside, she can take you inside," Colson said. "She has quick feet for her size and she really lulls people to sleep and you're not expecting her to do what she can do.''

Pondexter helps Liberty beat Silver Stars again

Posted Jul 08 2011 10:30PM

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Cappie Pondexter had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Plenette Pierson added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the New York Liberty beat the San Antonio Silver Stars for the second straight game, 76-73 on Friday night.

Nicole Powell scored 13 points, Leilani Mitchell had 11 and Kia Vaughn 10 for the Liberty (6-5), who have won four of their last five games. New York also beat San Antonio 81-75 at home last Friday.

Jia Perkins scored 13 points and Danielle Adams had 12 for the Silver Stars (7-3), who have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Danielle Robinson added 11 points, and Sophia Young and Becky Hammon each had 10.

Neither team had played since their last meeting a week ago, and New York has now won four straight times in the series.

The Silver Stars had possession down by three with 12.3 seconds left, but Robinson threw the ball away and the Liberty held on for the victory.

New York outrebounded San Antonio 35-30, had 11 steals and held the Silver Stars to 5-for-16 shooting (31 percent) on 3-pointers. The Liberty were 9 for 21 (43 percent from beyond the arc.

New York's defense was especially strong in the second quarter, limiting the Silver Stars to 3-of-13 shooting. The Liberty went on a 12-0 run in the quarter, capped by Mitchell's jumper with 5:17 remaining for a 32-25 lead. New York didn't score again until there were 39.9 seconds left in the half, but still held a 37-31 lead at the break.

The Liberty had a five-point lead at 4:30 in the first quarter, at which point the Silver Stars went to their bench. Robinson responded with four points, two rebounds and drew two offensive fouls to close the quarter, and San Antonio led 19-18 going to the second period.

• Liberty: --
• Silver Stars: --

• Liberty: Hollingsworth
• Silver Stars: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
• Officials: #42 Roy Gulbeyan, #4 Sue Blauch, #28 Angellica Suffren
• Attendance: 8100
• Duration: 1:51