The Liberty aren’t the same team that got steamrolled by the Dallas Wings on May 24.
Or at least that’s what they said.
They didn’t back those words up with meaningful actions Tuesday as they fell 88-77 to the Wings.
The Liberty led by two points after the first quarter, only to follow it up with a lousy showing in the second that had them playing from behind the rest of the way.
The Liberty were outscored 29-11, with seven of their points coming from the free-throw line, in the second quarter.
They shot an abysmal 2-for-15 from the field (13.1 percent), including 0-for-5 from deep during that quarter. They trailed by 16 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Liberty imposed their will, climbing out of the double-digit hole by using a 16-5 run to cut the deficit to five points with 6:22 left in the third.
The Wings, though, built their lead back to 15 by the end of the period.
The Liberty got within seven in the fourth, but that was the closest they would get.
Wings forward and first-time All-Star Jessica Shepard notched her third triple-double of the season with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Fellow big Awak Kuier was three assists shy of her first career triple-double as she finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Dallas scored 18 points off the Liberty’s 14 turnovers.
Breanna Stewart scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Jonquel Jones, who was named an All-Star reserve before tipoff, contributed 17 points and 12 rebounds.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
