There were no surprises when the Dream and the Liberty faced off for the fifth time this season Tuesday night. Atlanta was all too familiar with New York’s explosive offense, one that topped the Dream by 22 points July 13.
Still, the Dream (8-11) couldn’t seem to crack the Liberty, losing 85-75 at Philips Arena.
New York was led by 20 points from Plenette Pierson, while Cappie Pondexter added 16. The Dream’s Angel McCoughtry and Lindsey Harding combined for 38 points.
From the opening tip, the Dream applied pressure on Pondexter, New York’s leading scorer who entered Tuesday averaging 17.1 points per game. She was held to a relatively quiet first quarter, scoring only five points.
The Dream took advantage, clinging to a 20-19 lead at the quarter’s end.
But that lead wouldn’t last long, as New York (11-8) extended its lead to 31-24 with 7:03 remaining in the half. Essence Carson scored eight points in a three-minute stretch.
Angel McCoughtry scored 10 points in the second quarter points to help cut the Liberty’s lead to four with 3:12 remaining in the half.
McCoughtry had been named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month on Tuesday.
A pair of foul shots by Harding cut the Liberty advantage to 39-38 with 1:13 left, but New York managed to take a 46-40 lead into the locker room.
A 3-point shot by Pondexter midway through the third quarter gave the Liberty a 10-point lead. But the Dream responded, closing the gap to four with key baskets from Erika de Souza and McCoughtry. At the end of the third quarter, New York led 65-61.
Kia Vaughn scored five points down the stretch to help New York hold onto its lead, with Mitchell scoring six more points to secure the win.
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