| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Sparks 67, Liberty 60
Saturday June 14, 2003NEW YORK (AP) The Los Angeles Sparks sent another message to the New York Liberty and the rest of the WNBA.
``This is our championship quest,'' Sparks coach Michael Cooper said. ``The statement we sent today is anything that needs to be said or done is coming through L.A.''
Lisa Leslie had 25 points and eight rebounds as the two-time defending champion Sparks beat the Liberty 67-60 Saturday, tying their WNBA record with nine straight wins to open the season.
In a rematch of last year's WNBA Finals before 14,021 fans at Madison Square Garden, the Sparks put the Liberty away in the final minutes after trailing much of the second half. They also started 9-0 in 2001 and have won 18 straight dating to last season.
``I don't think we could get complacent at this point,'' Leslie said. ``With the expansion draft the league has gotten a lot of tougher. We have a big challenge ahead of us, but we are still hungry to win another championship.''
Nikki Teasley had 13 assists and 10 rebounds and DeLisha Milton added 15 points for the Sparks.
Crystal Robinson scored 15 and Vickie Johnson had 14 for the Liberty (3-3), who shook off a horrible start and forced 15 turnovers for 22 points. Tari Phillips added 10 points and 11 rebounds.
``We let it get away from us,'' guard Becky Hammon said. ``We let it slip away.''
Hammon had led New York in scoring in three of its first five games, but hit just four of 10 shots for 11 points Saturday, settling for tough layups and scoop shots inside against Los Angeles' tough post players.
During one timeout, Cooper told his players to let Hammon shoot. ``All she wants to do is shoot,'' he told his team.
``The shots she took were trick shots,'' Cooper said after the game. ``Those are not the shots I would want her to take.''
Leslie hit one of two free throws to pull the Sparks to 58-57 with 3:25 to go as the Liberty began to unravel.
Tamecka Dixon then hit a turnaround jumper with 2:12 left, putting Los Angeles ahead 59-58 before Leslie secured the win.
Teasley found Leslie open under the basket for a layup with 53.4 seconds left, and on the baseline for a turnaround jumper with 17.9 seconds remaining. The Sparks then broke into smiles and fist pumps as New York was forced to call a timeout.
``As champions, you always find a way to win,'' Teasley said with a smile. ``Everyone is against us. We're champions and we're on top, and people want to see you go down. We're great on the road because everything is against us.''
The Sparks also matched the Liberty's physical defense all night. Leslie even played tough perimeter defense in the final seconds, sending Robinson to the ground on a desperate 3-pointer that would have tied the game at 63.
``I'm puzzled,'' said Teresa Weatherspoon, who played only 20 minutes and finished with only three assists and two rebounds and spent much of her court time trying to get the Liberty to set up properly. ``It's really just us. If we don't get into the sets, it's kind of hard. You have to make them play defense, and it didn't happen.''
The Sparks started the game on a 7-0 run as the Liberty struggled from the field. It was contagious, though, as Los Angeles committed four quick turnovers that led to 11 of New York's first 13 points.
The teams traded turnovers until the Liberty went on an 11-0 run that included six points and a steal from center Tari Phillips. New York led 32-30 at halftime.
(