Liberty’s Tina Charles (Double G Media, LLC)

Tina Charles dropped a game high 28 points , but it wasn’t enough. The Seattle Storm, behind an 9-0 run, defeated the Liberty 87-81.

Tina Charles scored 22 of her 28 points in the second half for fourth-ranked New York (2-2). Sugar Rodgers made six of the Liberty’s nine 3-pointers and scored 21 points. Epiphanny Prince had 19 points and seven assists. Charles took over in the third quarter, scoring 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

For Seattle, Stewart had 20 points, including an 11-of-13 clip from the free throw line. Jewell Loyd added 16 points. Rookie Sami Whitcomb scored 22 points on 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range in less than 15 minutes of play. Thanks to the comeback ,the Storm still hold a perfect record at home (3-0).

Trailing 46-44 at the half, New York opened the 3^rd quarter on a 16-7 run and led by as many as 10 points in the period, with Charles pacing the Liberty, shooting 8-of-10 from the field during that stretch. Seattle responded with a 7-2 run to start the 4^th quarter, regaining the lead on a Sami Whitcomb 3-pointer, one of her 6 makes from long distance on the night.

The Liberty regained an 81-78 lead as Sugar Rodgers connected from deep, she finished with 21 points and 6 3-pointers, but Seattle ended the game on a 9-0 run to secure the win.

Life After Brittany Boyd Starting To Take Shape

The Liberty are  1-1 without Boyd in the lineup, which is to small of a sample size to make any kind of informed judgement on what her loss will truly mean. But, it’s safe to say that the Liberty’s ultimate success or lack their of in 2017 will have a lot to with on how Sugar Rodgers and Epiphanny Prince gets it done on both ends of the floor.

Up Next For The Liberty

The Liberty returns to Madison Square Garden to open a 5-game home stand on Tuesday, May 30, when it welcomes the defending WNBA Champion Los Angeles Sparks. Tip off is scheduled for 7 PM.