Cappie Pondexter, Kia Vaughn lead as New York Liberty hold off Tulsa Shock, 94-82 – WNBA Recap
Kia Vaughn and Cappie Pondexter pounded double-doubles and New York Liberty cooled off the Tulsa Shock with a 94-82 win on Thursday night at BOK Center. This victory snapped the four-game losing streak of New York.
New York was led by a balanced attack, as five players scored in double-figures, including four starters. Vaughn poured in a season-high 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead all the scorers on the night. The 24-year-old centre was
supreme from the field, hitting 12 of 14 shots attempted.
Pondexter rocked the court for more than 38 minutes and ended with 23 brilliant points and a game high 10 assists in the victory. The 28-year-old guard was 5 for 10 from down town and 8 for 17 from the field. Former Tulsa forward
Plenette Pierson chipped in with 14 points and grabbed four rebounds while Essence Carson ended with 12 points, four assists and four rebounds for New York. Nicole Powell also racked up 10 points and six rebounds for Liberty.
For the Shock, Rookie Liz Cambage came off the bench with a team-high 22 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Cambage was perfect from free throw line, shooting 6 for 6. Kayla Pedersen led all Tulsa starters with 18
points while Ivory Latta had added 13 points. This was the second straight defeat for Tulsa for whom Tiffany Jackson also finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
Led by Vaughn and Pondexter, Liberty destroyed Tulsa on the offense. At one point in the game, New York stretched their lead to as much as 18 points while the Shock’s biggest lead of the game was just one point.
Liberty opened the first quarter on a 10-5 run and stretched it to a ten-point lead, 24-14, going into the second. Shock took the fight to New York early in the second quarter but they couldn’t stop Vaughn, who scored 12 of her
22 points in the first half. Pondexter and Montgomery hit two three-pointers in the closing seconds of the second period as New York held a 46-32 advantage at halftime.
Tulsa scored the first five points of the third quarter and cut their 14-point first half deficit to nine points, 46-37. Keyed by a 11-point performance by Cambage, they outplayed New York 26-18 for rest of the quarter. However,
Liberty still carried a seven-point lead, 70-63, heading into the fourth.
Shock continued their impressive comeback in the fourth quarter and trimmed the deficit to just one, 76-75, with 04:53 remaining. New York however managed to turn it on down the stretch and went on an 18-7 run to seal the victory.
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