By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Angel McCoughtry scored 42 points for the Atlanta Dream to give the New York Liberty a nightmare ending to a their promising season with a 105-93 loss on Wednesday.
The Dream swept the Liberty from the WNBA playoffs bith back-to-back wins in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It was difficult ending for a squad that completely reloaded its roster in the offseason and entered the season with high expectations.
"Angel McCoughtry just really showed how good she is going to be and what a bright star she is already," New York coach Anne Donovan told reporters after the game.
The Dream jumped out to an early lead and trailed for less than five minutes in the game, and never by more than three.
The Liberty showed sparks of life throughout the game, but were derailed by sloppy play and bad transition defense.
The Liberty trailed by as much as 14 late in the first half, but strong play from Essence Carson and Cappie Pondexter helped them pull even by late in the second half.
Pondexter, a league MVP candidate, led New York with 36 points.
But Pondexter's big night wasn't enough to save the Liberty from elimination thanks to McCoughtry's effort.
“[McCoughtry] was in a great rhythm,” Pondexter told reporters. “She did a great job against us.”
