Cappie Pondexter propels New York Liberty to a 69-66 win over Washington Mystics: WNBA Analysis Pt-2
After pulling away early, New York Liberty maintained their lead till the very last minute. Cappie Pondexter led all scorers on the night with 26 points on a 9 of 18 shooting. Pondexter also improved on her eight turnovers, she
committed in the last game against the Indiana Fever, and reduced them to only three this time around. She also grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists on the night.
Plenette Pierson also chipped in with 16 points for Liberty, which had no other player in the double scoring figures.
The Mystics were led by their mercurial forward Crystal Langhorne. Langhorne, Langhorne who averaged 18.7 points on 65.7 percent shooting in the season series, coming into the game, erupted with 25 points on a marvellous 10 for
13 effort from the floor.
Matee Ajavon had a cold shooting night and finished with only 12 points on a 3 for 13 effort. However, she nearly more than made up for her inaccuracy, when she knocked down a clutch three pointer to send shivers in the New York
camp. However, it was her Rutgers team-mate Cappie who had the last laugh as she out smarted Ajavon, who was guarding her for the game changing layup, to carve out a 69-66 win for Liberty.
“I knew she was guarding me, but I knew I could take it to the basket and score,'' Pondexter said after the game. “I didn't make that shot. I didn't want the same thing to happen again, I wanted to be aggressive and I believed
I could make the shot.''
Despite losing the game yet again, Washington yet again showcased their resilience. Mystics have been part of a number of close games in the last two weeks, but more often than not, they have ended up on the losing side.
Both the teams had nearly that same stats from the floor. Liberty however outrebounded the Mystics 31-25 on the glass and led them 28-24 in the points in the paint and 12-6 in the fast break points. Liberty committed 16 turnovers
on the night as compared to 15 by the Mystics.
With the win, Liberty have now consolidated their position at the third spot in the Eastern Conference with a 14-11 overall record and a 9-4 record at home. Mystics on the other hand, slipped to a 5-17 record.
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