Leilani Mitchell scored all 12 of her points in the fourth quarter as the New York Liberty were able to hold off the Atlanta Dream by a score of 85-75. Atlanta drops its second straight game after a five game winning streak and falls a half game out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Angel McCoughtry scored a game high 24 points but the Dream couldn't come up with enough stops at the defensive end of the floor to slow down the Liberty. New York really dug in on the defensive end effectively keeping Atlanta off balance and out of rhythm offensively. Lindsey Harding finished with 14 points and nine assists while Erika de Souza chipped in 11. The Dream shot 45 percent from the field but missed all six of their three point attempts and went just 13 of 22 from the free throw line.
Planette Pierson led the Liberty with 20 points and eight rebounds. Cappie Pondexter added 16 points and Nicole Powell pitched in 13. As a team New York combined to go 11-19 from three point range including four daggers from Mitchell in the fourth quarter. That hot shooting enabled the Liberty to overcome 19 turnovers in the game. New York held its own with Atlanta on the boards winning the rebounding battle by a 36-29 count.
The loss sets up a tough stretch of upcoming games for the Dream who finish up their brief home stand with a Sunday afternoon match up against Seattle. After Sunday, Atlanta then will play seven of its next eight games on the road including a west coast trip that will take them through Phoenix, Seattle, and Los Angeles.
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