By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN — The New York Liberty had visions of bringing a basketball title to New York City for the first time in 37 years when they acquired forward Cappie Pondexter from Phoenix in the off-season.
However, the Liberty (9-9) are not currently in the playoff picture and the players know they have an uphill climb ahead of them as they begin the second-half of the season.
"We need to put teams away better," said Liberty center Janel McCarville. "Good teams put teams away early and keep them away."
Three of the Liberty’s nine losses on the season have come despite having leads in the final minutes of games.
The Liberty are a game and a half behind the Connecticut Sun (11-8) for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and trail the first place Atlanta Dream (14-6) by four
games with six weeks remaining in the season.
The team has played a brutal schedule with most of their losses coming during long road trips. Before the All-Star break, the Liberty played five of its last six games on the road.
"I’m not going to make any excuses," said Pondexter. "I just went to get it done. [As a team] we need to have no excuses, come prepared and give it all we got."
Pondexter pointed to rookie Kalana Greene as a bright spot on the struggling squad, which reached .500 with a 75-67 win over the Washington Mystics on Thursday.
Greene, who came to the Liberty after winning a national championship with UConn, sparked an 18-5 run late in the third quarter to give the Liberty an impressive win in front of a crowd of more than 18,000.
"That’s what we drafted her for," said Pondexter, who called on her entire to team to step it up a level.
McCarville led the team Thursday with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Pondexter chipped in 17 points. Leilani Mitchell also had two clutch fourth-quarter steals that helped the Liberty hold off the Mystics, who battled back from a double-digit deficit late in the final minutes.
"We’re playing together," said McCarville, when asked about the team’s bright spots. "I think we’re letting the game come to us, we’re not forcing anything. Our transition game’s getting better, so things are shaping up."
