Sunday, June 25, 2017

Sun 94, Liberty 89: Ray Floriani's Photo Essay

NEW YORK -- Resilience. An oft-used word, and an attribute every coach wants his or her coach to have.

It was a quality very much on display at Madison Square Garden on Friday, the end result being a 94-89 victory by the Connecticut Sun over the New York Liberty.
   
The Liberty showed their resilience by battling back after trailing almost the entire way. Late in the third quarter, they were down by 21 points. Led by Tina Charles, they eventually tied it with just over a minute remaining in regulation. Naturally, giving up a lead of that nature could signal a loss of momentum; and ultimately, the game. Showing resilience of their own, the Sun regrouped, getting two field goals and a stop before icing it on the free throw line.
Let us not overlook the fact that the Sun did a lot of good things over the course of this game. They shot 48 percent from the field, including 50 from three-point range. They turned 14 Liberty turnovers into 28 points while enjoying a 21-4 edge in second chance points. In simple terms, coach Curt Miller’s team did a lot of good things to be in a position to win, but it all came back to that one intangible: Resilience, on display in great doses by both teams. In the end, the Connecticut had a little more, and they had it at a most crucial and opportune time.

Madison Square Garden staff working the gameday credential table:
The Liberty dance team in pregame warmups:
The Garden floor 30 minutes prior to the opening tip:
Epiphanny Prince sets up the New York offense:
Official Tiara Cruise during a free throw:
Connecticut directing traffic on the offensive end:
Breaking ranks in the Sun huddle:
Liberty head coach Bill Laimbeer meets the media after a hard-fought loss:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.