Mitchell, Liberty bomb Tulsa, 92-78
The New York Liberty dropped a bomb on the Tulsa Shock on Friday night. To be more precise, the Liberty dropped 14 bombs, setting a franchise record and defeating the Shock 92-78 before 4,554 fans at the BOK Center. Leilani Mitchell led all scorers with 20 points, tying a WNBA record for most three-pointers in a quarter with four. Jennifer Lacy paced Tulsa with 16 points.
New York was red hot from behind the arc from the beginning as they sank seven of 12 attempts in the first quarter, tying the league record for most three-pointers by a team in a single quarter. Mitchell led all first quarter scorers with 12 points while Keisha Brown led the way for Tulsa with five points. New York played solid offense from the perimeter, ending the quarter without turning the ball over while Tulsa was credited with six turnovers.
Tulsa jumped on the scoreboard first when Alexis Hornbuckle worked the ball inside to Kara Braxton for an easy basket. New York then went on to sink three-straight treys to take a 9-6 lead. The Liberty expanded their lead to as many as 12 points before Brown dropped a shot that rolled around the rim and in with :05 left to make the score 29-19 at the break.
The two squads traded baskets throughout the second quarter with the Liberty enjoying a comfortable lead. Former Shock forward Plenette Pierson's layup with just over three minutes remaining extended New York's lead to 16. Pierson would go on to finish with 11 points on the night.
New York continued their dominance in the third quarter, mounting a 25-point lead before Tulsa chipped away to pull within 18 at the end of the quarter. The Shock would pull within 13-points three times in the final frame, but would not be able to overcome the large deficit as the Liberty continued to cruise towards the win. Tulsa rookie Marion Jones had her best effort of the season, scoring eight points while adding three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in over 14 minutes of play.
The win ended a three-game skid for New York who improved to 5-7 on the season. The loss marks the seventh-straight for Tulsa, dropping their record to 3-10. The Shock outscored the Liberty in the paint 32-24, despite shooting just 38-percent from the field.
Next up for the Shock is a 3 p.m. tip-off with the Seattle Storm at the BOK Center. Seattle is currently in first place in the Western Conference with a record of 12-2. Tickets for Sunday's game and all future home games are available at the BOK Center box office, online or by calling 599-WNBA.
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Photos by: Kevin Pyle
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New York
29
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92
Tulsa
19
16
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27
78
Attendance: 4,554. Officials: Michael Price, Tony Dawkins, Brenda Pantoja. Time of game: 2:05.
New York - Mitchell 20, Powell 16, Pondexter 15, Pierson 11, McCarville 10, McWilliams 8, Carson 6, Spencer 3, Greene 2, Vaughn 1.
Tulsa - J. Lacy 16, Robinson 14, Brown 12, Jones 8, Braxton 7, Hornbuckle 6, Holt 6, Jackson 5, N. Lacy 4.