A thrilling win over the Western Conference-leading L.A. Sparks on Tuesday afternoon may be just the spark the Liberty need to end their road woes.
The Liberty, in the midst of a five-game western swing, entered the game 1-5 away from Madison Square Garden. But the Libs (8-7) battled back from an 11-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, outscoring the Sparks, 38-16, in the frame to pull out an 89-78 win at the Staples Center.
“I was happy with the fact that we got down early and fought our way back,” head coach Pat Coyle said. “It’s hard to win on the road.”
The Liberty now have a chance to go on their first win streak since back-to-back victories on June 11 and 14 when it arrives in Seattle tonight (10 p.m.) to take on the Storm (9-7), who are 8-1 this season at KeyArena.
In Tuesday’s game, Shameka Christon poured in a career-high 28 points and Janel McCarville added 15 points and eight rebounds. McCarville was also instrumental in neutralizing the Sparks’ star center Lisa Leslie, who played only 11 minutes because of foul trouble and left the game less than halfway through the fourth.
The Storm is an excellent defensive team, ranking first in the league in scoring defense (70.1), second in field-goal defense (.388), and third in three-point defense (.313). That will pose a challenge for the enlivened Liberty offense, which is averaging 88.6 points per game in its last five contests.
“When we execute, we get good shots,” Coyle said. “I’ll say that till the sun comes up. [Against L.A.], we got good shots.”
Christon’s improved long-distance shooting has led the way. A career 33.3-percent 3-point shooter, Christon is connecting on 45.5 percent of her trey attempts this season, including six of eight tries on Tuesday. She leads the team with 15.9 points per game.