The Liberty was able to pull off a win in a true thriller of a game. A game that featured seven lead changes and the two teams being tied a total of seven times. The Liberty was able to prevail over a very tough Indiana team by the score of 77-74 on Wednesday Night basketball at Madison Square Garden.

“It was a typical Indiana-New York matchup, where it’s just grueling and physical and no one is giving up anything easy.” Head Coach Anne Donovan said after the game. “It’s a battle…it’s a great team we just beat and they could be there down the road so I give them a lot of credit.”

New York now advances to the Eastern Conference Finals, as they will take on a very hungry Atlanta Dream team in Round One on Sunday night. Leading the way for New York was MVP candidate Cappie Pondexter who had 30 points to go along with four assist.

“This team is really amazing, especially to have a player out of the game. It’s unbelievable and I am really happy right now.” Pondexter would say after the game. “I have been on two championship teams and one common thing that they had was togetherness. No matter if you are the most talented on the team or what. And that is the one special thing that we have this season.”

Pierson would have this to say on the win tonight” It was a huge win for us tonight.” She would continue by saying. “We had our backs against the wall, we knew we didn’t have a great showing in Game Two; and we really wanted to come out and show our fans that we are here-yeah we messed up but we are ready to play and go on to the next round. We had to defeat a tough team. It went down to the wire but we are just happy that we have that opportunity to play in the next round.”

Indiana had three players finish the night in double figures as they were led by guard Katie Douglas, who found her shot after being shutdown in Game One. Douglas finished with 24 points, four rebounds and four assists. Catchings ended the night with 21 points, six boards and three steals. Forward Ebony Hoffman, who yet again provided some big shots and rebounds for the Fever finished with 13 points and four boards.

“I just thought it was a battle that both teams were playing to win,” Douglas said of the game. “It was overall an incredible game for women’s basketball. You could see that neither team wanted to lose and go home. I’m just proud of the way we fought.”

For New York they were missing a key player in center Janel McCarville, who is day-to-day with a sprained ankle. Stepping up big time in the game on Wednesday was the play of Plenette Pierson and Bronx native Kia Vaughn, as they had 13 points and eight points respectively.  The Mecca crowd of16, 882, including C. Vivian Stringer and Sue Wicks, were on their feet from the start of the game until the end. As the enthusiastic crowd rocked the Garden with their thunder sticks, sang and danced; along with giving this reporter Goose bumps with their energy and support for the Liberty.

“I love the Garden,” Vaughn would say after the game. “It is amazing the fan support you get day in and day out is amazing.” On her play she would have this to say, “I knew that Indiana would be aggressive so I just knew that I had out come out and be aggressive as well. I’m a strong girl…I knew I had to be aggressive and push them around and be the one to get the big rebounds and buckets tonight.”

“The fan support meant a lot,” guard Essence Carson said of the Madison Square Garden crowd support. “They really rallied behind us and were a huge part of us coming back and we really thank all of our fans for their support.”

Pierson also enjoyed the crazy crowd saying, “It meant a lot having that kind of support in the game tonight. When you have that kind of support you can’t help but to will yourself to win.”  She would continue to say, “We need our crowd and we are looking forward to seeing them on Sunday.”

Pondexter who was showered with chants of ‘MVP’ from the Garden faithful also enjoyed the support saying, “It means a lot to me, to know that your city is behind you. They want great basketball; they believe in it, they believe in you. And to see their support and to hear it is overwhelming.” She would continue to say, “This city deserves a lot and I want to be the one that brings it to them.”

Pierson also wants to bring home a title to the Mecca, the forward who celebrated her 29^th birthday on Tuesday had this to say, “We are greedy we don’t want to stop here, it was a nice belated birthday present. I am greedy and I want the big trophy then you can say that is my birthday present.”

Carson was another key part to the Liberty success. The guard had 11 points in the night, did a stellar job in defending forward Tamika Catchings who is easily the MVP for the Fever.  She also had one of the sweetest shots of the night timing a leaping tip-shot at the 4:35 mark of the second quarter to give New York the 40-34 advantage.

“We are just being aggressive on all ends both offensively and defensively,” Carson said of the victory tonight, “We are just attacking what is there and playing the game of basketball, we playing together and playing New York basketball.”

On her defensive performance against Catchings she had this to say, “I tried to make her take all jump shots today. In the first half she hit a lot, and in the later part of the game she hit a few. I knew when it got down to it in the fourth quarter she was going to be pretty tired, she was carrying a lot offensively for that team and it was going to wear her down. It was my job to stand there and make her shoot over me.”

This three game set was truly the definition of Playoff basketball as it brought physical play and thrilling moments throughout the short time the two teams played each other. Considering that these two teams throughout the 2010 season had battled it out it was only appropriate that it would come down to a thrilling Game Three.

“It is a great feeling to know that we are creating a new part of history for the New York Liberty,” Pierson said. “We got a tough battle a head of us in Atlanta. Indiana really pushed us to our limits and we really learned a lot about ourselves. We learned that as long as long as we play together and confidentially there is no one that can stop us. And we will carry that over until we are able to hopefully carry that championship over our head.”

But Pacquiao wasn’t the center of attention, even if he is going for an unprecedented eighth title in another division at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas. Margarito returns to the ring after sitting out the past year due to a suspension from using tainted hand wraps in a title fight with Shane Mosley.

Margarito was recently denied reinstatement by the California State Athletic Commission. They were the governing body that imposed the suspension based on allegations and further investigation of the gloves, and wraps that Margarito used after he lost the WBA welterweight title to Mosley in Los Angeles.

So with Nevada, also out of the picture, Texas granted Margarito another chance. Top Rank was looking to keep their champion Pacquiao busy who also doubles up as a congressman in the Philippines. There is a sentiment that Pacquiao will easily win this fight. Of course, Margarito thinks otherwise as he also fights for his credibility.

“Everything is in the past and now I am in the present,” said Margaritio at the podium with an array of his Mexican supporters cheering in the gallery. “I want to thank Manny for taking this fight. It’s time to show everyone that I am still very good,” he said.

And nothing else said about one of the major mistakes made by a fighter. You have to know that your hands are being wrapped the wrong way, or that something such as plaster is being put under the wraps. Margaritio will claim innocence, so will his disposed trainers who have been handed a lifetime suspension in the states.

“You have to know, every fighter knows what’s going on but you have to give a second chance,” was the way Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach put it. Roach is respected as the best boxing trainer in the business. So he should know what goes under the boxing gloves.

But boxing goes on, and so does the mega fight that the business surly needs. Both fighters are promoted by Top Rank. Pacquiao is the major draw in boxing and once again goes for history as he awaits the hopeful showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. that could happen in the spring.

“When Floyd runs out of money, the fight will happen,” said Roach with a chuckle about the on and off again fight with Mayweather. “We will have a good training camp and go with the plan to defeat Margarito.

Said Pacquiao, (51-3-2, 38 KO’s) who returns to Cowboys Stadium for a second fight, after easily defeating Joshua Clottey back in March, defending his WBO welterweight title, “Sure he’s a cheater but I am looking for an interesting and exciting fight. He has the capability to give a good show and he is a fighter that is impressive and a talented fighter.”

Fighters like Miguel Cotto, the former welterweight champion and current super welterweight title holder can vouch how powerful Margaritio is. Cotto was pounded and dethroned by Margarito out in Las Vegas in July 2008. Cotto’s face a mess from a Margarito pounding that had everyone discounting Cotto’s ability and bragging about Margarito’s power.

So give Margarito the benefit of doubt. The three-time world champion (38-6, 27 KO’s) from Tijuana Mexico was going about his business. Or for the lore of glory went with the plan and did what the trainers asked. Boxing, not like baseball and other sports is at fault because there is no regulation with a national commissioner.

In the meantime we wait for a fight in November, though not having the implications that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will have. Margarito will return to the ring and get his share of accolades and criticism from the expected crowd of 50,000 in Texas.

Are we to accept Margarito again as a great fighter? Pacquiao will eventually tell the story on November 13^th.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

And this writer, with 28 years of experience as a reputed sports journalist, is tired of the garbage and professionalism not being granted. The latest occurred this past Saturday evening at a Main Events/Ziggy Promotions card of boxing at the Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey.

There should be standards drawn as to who deserves ringside press access. And those with experience, one here who files copy on deadline, was a victim of being put in an unworkable auxiliary work area. The imposters, those who don’t file copy, and are more tuned to be a boxing fan received ringside access.

Call it being spoiled, or for that matter a bitter legitimate working member of the media, but there has to be a line drawn. There is a difference from being an imposter and from being a legitimate and credited sports journalist. But not like years ago, when there was no internet, it has become that much easier for the imposters to do their thing.

This reporter has covered boxing, as well as all sports for a good part of 28 years. That has included major championship fights, as well as The Super Bowl, numerous post season and World Series, the National Hockey League, NBA and so on.

And it can be recalled the first few years, especially at boxing events, it was a privilege to gain access even if it meant being placed in an auxiliary press area. There were no laptops then and deadline was done on the phone, on hard copy with a typewriter and fax machine. You earn your dues getting to ringside, just like a fighter earning his shot at a championship fight.

So Saturday evening it continued to get worse. A so-called journalist, Robert Brizel who carries a small Nikon camera around his neck has come on the scene. One of those imposters who has a business card that claims he is also a ringside bucket man, known as a second man in the corner around boxing circles.

Oh, he also publishes a web site one that needs no mention here. But he gets ringside access Saturday evening, and has been at ringside recently for some other New York boxing shows. And what does he do? He annoys people at ringside, seeks autographs, takes photos with fighters and other boxing officials, and annoys those there working as legitimate members of the media.

He is not the only culprit. There are others and they deprive those credible journalists, legitimate, a seat at ringside. You see, today with the internet anyone can create a web site and apply for credentials. Except the real pro publicity personnel, like Ed Keenan, who handles most of the big fights for Top Rank, won’t let the imposters get their way.

In essence, imposters can get their way for now. It will hopefully come to an end soon if the other promoters and publicity personnel scrutinize the credential requests with more efficiency.

It was an insult to this journalist Saturday night in Newark. So what did a reputed journalist do? Finally not put up with the humiliation and walk out. Dropped the credential at the same table where it was received and waited for the results on the internet as to who won the heavyweight tilt between Tomasz Adamek and Michael Grant.

Oh by the way, I am still waiting for the imposter Brizel to provide a report.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

Mitchell who was 7-for-12 from the field, was 4-for-5 from the three-point range, had two of the sweetest shots in the game hitting a back to the basket lay-up to go along with an aggressive lay-up with four Indiana Fever players surrounding her. The point-guard also dished out five assist in the game.

“We just brought a lot of energy, especially defensively because we knew they are a great team. They have a lot of great players so our good defense was able to translate our offense,” Mitchell said of her team’s performance. “Our whole team played great today; the whole team was able to contribute with an assist, a steal or a rebound so it was great for the confidence of each and every one of our players.”

Along with Mitchell three other players were in double-digit scoring including Center Taj McWilliams-Franklin who had double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. Guard Cappie Pondexter who was named to the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for two weeks in a row, scored 13 points to go along with six assists.  Forward Nicole Powell had 10 points for New York to go along with two very big three-point buckets. Rounding out the scoring for the Liberty was Guard Essence Carson who had eight points, while Janel McCarville and Plenette Pierson both had six points each.

“We are just going one game at a time and that is the beauty of this team,” head coach Anne Donovan said after the game. “They understand that you have to go one game at a time. I was really pleased with the mentality of our group. Playing a great team like Indiana and playing well….that’s the most important thing for us.”

Leading the way for the Fever was Forward Tamika Catchings who was on fire the first half of play. Catchings, who is making her bid for MVP, scored 15 points from behind 5-for-5 shooting from the field while also shooting 3-for-3 from the three-point arc. The forward was then kept off the board due to great defense by New York.

“The third quarter was our biggest difference,” Catchings said after the game. “The Liberty was able to come out with more intensity after halftime and we just weren’t able to match that. We have to regroup. We still have two more games. Go to San Antonio from here then we have Minnesota at home. It’s a tight race.”

Essence Carson who again provided a positive spark including a fourth quarter steal and lay-up around the two minute mark, had this to say of the game. “We really defended well tonight they shot just under 40 percent, and we really cleaned up on the rebounds. So that was the main key to our victory tonight.”

Center Taj McWilliams-Franklin who provided New York with some of the biggest rebounds of the game, also with hit a thrilling last second shot in the fourth quarter of play. The center had this to say of the victory, “It was a great team victory we had some goals that we set out to do against the Fever, as well as the playoffs. Right now teams are jockeying for a spot in the playoffs. Today was a game for us as a team that everything fell together.”  McWilliams-Franklin would continue to say, “As our mental focus strengthens we just keep getting better and better.”

Also having a strong game for New York was forward Janel McCarville, giving the Liberty a strong inside post presence to go along with some nice passing and key jumpers throughout. McCarville had this to say of the win, “It was huge to have been able to get the win tonight. To have been able to keep them to six points in the second quarter was great and shows what our team is all about.”  She continued by saying, “Everyone stepped up and so many people on the team are unselfish enough  to give up any shot for one that is open and it has paid off for us.”

New York has two more regular season games at Madison Square Garden before the start of post season play. The team will wrap up their three-game home-stand at the Mecca on Thursday as they take on the Tulsa Shock with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. The schedule includes one last road game on Friday against Washington before the home finale against Connecticut at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.

“Back-to-backs are tough. This is the second for us, and we have another one coming up.” head coach Anne Donovan said after the game. “We had a lot of motivation against Phoenix; the last time when we were there we stumbled. Today everyone was really focused. We just stayed with the game plan. You put your mind into it and get it done.”

The Liberty did just that having five players in double-digit scoring. Leading the way for New York offensively was guard Cappie Pondexter who had 28 points, from 8-for-15 shooting from the field. The MVP candidate was 3-for-7 from the three-point arc. Also having a stellar day shooting was forward Nicole Powell, who had a career-high 23 points. Powell who certainly powered the Liberty shot 8-for-10 from the field, and 7-of-9 from the three-point range.

“We played exceptionally well today, especially going back-to-back,” Pondexter said after the game. “Our focus is absolutely great. We really pushed the tempo, ran the ball down the court, and we set the tone from the beginning.”

Nicole Powell agreed saying, “It was a great win for us today, especially going back-to-back. Everyone is just getting better. That is the most important thing is that everyone keeps getting better.”

Coach Donovan liked what she had seen from her forward Powell saying, “When Nicole (Powell) shoots the ball like that we’re really hard to beat.” Also complimenting Pondexter Donovan stated, “Cappie Pondexter is so good, the best one-on-one player in the league. Then when you add Nicole Powell’s three against the zone, it’s a pretty deadly combination.”

Center Taj McWilliams-Franklin netted 13 points to go along with five rebounds. Forward Plenette Pierson had several nice driving lay-ups for the Liberty in scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Forward Janel McCarville rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points along with grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assist.

Pierson had this to say of the teams showing tonight, “We played really aggressively tonight, we were able to focus our defense on the League’s leading scorer (Diana Taurasi) and it frustrated her.”  When asked about her brand of play in the game Pierson said, “I was just trying to be aggressive, go after the loose balls and hustled and it was contagious.”

Every single player on the New York bench provided a key moment, stop, rebound, and point in the victory over Phoenix. Guard Essence Carson cashed in on several great scoring opportunities notching eight points while grabbing six boards. Center Kia Vaughn had several strong drives to the net tallying seven points, while grabbing five rebounds.

“It was a great team win,” Carson said after the game. “We were able to get the stops that we needed to and really stepped up today as a team.” The guard would continue to say, “We want to make sure that everyone on the team is ready. That every time someone touches the floor that they are ready to play and come out with a victory.”

Phoenix for the most part was not the offensive juggernaut, having all-time scorer Diana Taurasi kept to five points. Taurasi did have two very nice assists in the game, but it wasn‘t a typical game for league‘s leading scorer.  Stepping up to lead the Mercury offensively was forward DeWanna Bonner, who had 20 points and seven boards.  Guard Temeka Johnson scored 14 points and dishing out four assists. Center Kara Braxton provided a strong inside post presence netting 11 points and grabbing eight boards.

New York played with heart and hustled from the first quarter on. The Liberty and the Mecca was rocking most of the night as the crowd as the 9,645 exploded with energy throughout.  Those fans are going to be in for one wild ride.

“We’ve got a lot of games coming up where we’re going to log a lot of minutes and that locker room is not satisfied,” Coach Donovan said afterward. “Our goal of making the playoffs has been reached tonight, and now we’re going to set new goals for ourselves in the postseason.”

That ride will start on Tuesday as the Liberty square off with the Indiana Fever. The 7:00 p.m. game will be a battle for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Liberty and the Fever have had epic battles in the past and it should be another battle on Tuesday night.

One of the keys to success against the Fever, “Stopping Tamika Catchings,” Pondexter said after the game. “She is really a catalyst for the Fever on both ends of the court. Hopefully we can get her frustrated and not have her score a lot of points against us. Catchings has been on a rampage in this second half, she is a tough player. She sets the tempo of the team and hopefully we can come out and be aggressive and play really well at home.”

Nicole Powell had this to say of the Fever, “Indiana is such a great team they are both tough offensively and defensively. They got some really great offensive players; it’s going to be a challenge. For us we need to be sharp and we need to be ready.  It is going to be a fight; Indiana keeps coming at you so you need to be prepared.”

Because it was havoc at the conclusion and something loyal boxing fans don’t deserve.  A main event for the bogus alphabet soup New York State junior featherweight title, one of the participants, Reinaldo Lopez was advertised from Miami Florida. His opponent (35-0-1) Mauricio Martinez, from Brooklyn the former WBO bantamweight champion who was the heavy favorite.

So what happens?  After nearly waiting an hour after the last fight, watching the awful comeback of Staten Island favorite Gary Starks Jr,, who took a pounding and took a decision over Leopoldo Arrocha of Panama City. Lopez hit the canvas three times in the first round before referee Steve Willis stopped the content at 1:21 by TKO.

Starks, a once promising lightweight was on the comeback trail after an 18-month hiatus. He needed medical attention and supposedly was taken by ambulance for further observation.  Here is the point of contention that is not fair to the ticket holder that anticipates and expects good boxing.

In between the Lopez stoppage the loud and abusive rap music continued to blast from the speaker systems in the arena. We wait and talk, fans continue to lose interest and leave the venue.  In the meantime there is no announcement made in the ring pertaining to the delay.

We waited and waited with nothing to do. Just like a rain delay at the ballpark and waiting for the rain to stop until the grounds crew can remove the tarp. Except during extensive rain delays, ballparks show out of town games on the video boards and here it was continued loud nonsense from the sound system.

The Havoc was so appropriately returned to Brooklyn, and in this case unfortunate it happened at a boxing event. Because fans were asking, “What was going on,” at least those who decided to wait and get their deserved value for a highly anticipated main event,

In the meantime, Martinez and Lopez are sitting in their respective dressing room area with hands wrapped and also waiting. Both at the Aviator complex hours before the doors opened for the first fight that got underway way after the scheduled 7pm start.

So this reporter, also tired of the wait seeks out New York State Athletic Commissioner Melvina Lathan, the political appointee of Governor David Patterson who should have the proper explanation as to causes for the delay. Is there a last minute medical issue with the fighters?  Is this a matter of stalling time as the clock past 11pm?

Said Lathan, annoyed about being interrupted in the middle of a social conversation, “We are waiting for an ambulance.” That was it.  Obviously the standby ambulance that is required had taken Starks to a nearby hospital for observation. But that could also not be confirmed because the commissioner had other pressing issues to discuss obviously not related to the boxing matter at hand.

Point of contention was asked. “Then why not make an announcement” to the remaining few that were roaming around ringside and in the back of the spacious Aviator complex. No response from the commissioner who should know better to address the issue for the interest of good paying boxing fans.

And after an hour or so of delay, we get this bogus main event that lasted all about 80 seconds.  Oh, nothing spectacular to report about the previous fights. Except some of the former champions of the sport, who once made boxing great in New York proudly stepped through the ropes and were introduced to the crowd.

Junior Jones, Monte Barrett, among the great fighters when boxing was a premiere sport in New York, Havoc Boxing Promotions tried to help the starved boxing fans of New York  But how many will return after witnessing havoc and being a part of the waiting game?

e-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com

New York now moves on up the standings as they are now tied for third place in the East as the playoff push continues. Tonight’s win was sweet for Liberty in more ways than one. In terms of the stats four players reached double digit scoring, while the entire team was able to play in tonight’s game. New York was 69.2% shooting from the three-point line as two players displayed some fine shooting from beyond the arc. Those two players were guard Cappie Pondexter who led with 23 points and Leilani Mitchell who had 15 points.

To go beyond the stats from tonight’s game; the Liberty along with the rest of the WNBA honored survivors of Breast Cancer, as before today’s game the Liberty gave pink basketballs to select survivors.  The whole Garden was a shade of Pink to celebrate and honor those survivors. For starting point guard Leilani Mitchell, she was one of the many players who were affected by the disease as she lost her mother last year to breast cancer.

“I played for her today,” Mitchell said after the game. “I was really thinking of her throughout the game.”  The thoughts of her Mom inspired her shooting 4-of-6 from the three- point range, to along with six assists.

Head Coach Anne Donovan had this to say of her point guard, “Leilani came back and Lei was Lei. She is one of the best three-point shooters in the game and we have a ton of confidence in her. So when she is aggressive like she was, it frees everyone else up.”

“You can tell that Lei was really emotional out there today,” Guard Cappie Pondexter said after the game. “It is a really tough thing to go through, but she did a great job for us tonight. The guard earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. Pondexter holds the Liberty record for most Player of the Week honors in what is still a young 2010 season. The only other player to nab two was Janel McCarville, who accomplished the feat in 2008.

“It is our defensive intensity,” Pondexter said of the win. “We did a great job of stopping key players like Crystal Langhorne, Katie Smith and Lindsey Harding.” Pondexter also shot 4-of-6 from the three-point range, while also dishing out six assist.

The Mystics who had complete control of the game in the first quarter of play lost total control. As New York cut into and eventually got a well earned victory in the last three quarters of play. New York’s defense attributed to five steals tonight along with a number of shot clock violations to help in the win.

“The key to good defense and passing is it all about giving and trust,” Center Taj McWilliams-Franklin said after the game. “Our defense is contingent on trusting each other. We know when someone is going to be there, and when they are not saying something. That kind of trust only comes with playing with each other.”

On the shot clock violations the center said, “It feels great, it is always like hey if you can do it once let us do it again, you almost get spoiled. It feels good but you also need to do something on the offensive end of the court.”

Taj looking more like the Tasmanian devil cartoon, as the center recorded 12 points, four rebounds four assist and one steal. The center showed some aggressive play in the inside post, while also having some sweet spin shots during the course of the basketball game. The heart and hustle of the center was noticed at the 2:22 mark in the third quarter when Coach Donovan took the center out for a breather. A good majority of the crowd in the Garden stood on their feet to applaud the effort of the center in the game.

“I love it- I love playing- I love competing,” the center said. “There is that feeling when you play sports that you can’t get anywhere else. You want people to be glad that they spend their money to come out to see you.” She would continue to say, “You want to give everything you have out on the court and that is something over the years I have tried to do.

Also giving her all was forward Planate Pierson, who had one of the sweetest shots in the game tonight. Pierson who drove in for a lay-up had the ball spin once around the net before going in. On the night as a whole Pierson had this to say, “It is really inspiring to have been part of the pre-game ceremony with the breast cancer survivors. They are a positive influence for cancer survivors.” Pierson would tell this story as well, “They all said thank you to us when we handed them the pink basketballs, and we were all like thank you for being here today.”

New York will go on to face the fourth-seeded team in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Lynx. The two teams will play on Sunday, August, 8 at 7:00 p.m. On Friday the Liberty will be back to Eastern Conference play as they face the Atlanta Dream, before returning back home on Saturday, August 14 to face the defending WNBA champions Phoenix Mercury with the MSG telecasted game to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

“We can continue to climb and take everything one game at a time,” Leilani Mitchell said of the playoff push. “We just need to play hard and bring energy like we did most of the game tonight and we will be alright.”

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Charity Note: On Saturday August 14 prior to the 7:30 p.m. game the New York Liberty along with the Garden of Dreams Foundation is set to host annual school supply drive. The first 500 fans who bring unused supplies such as pencils, notebooks, crayons will receive a special commemorative Liberty item. Collection bins will be set up in the mall area as fans enter The Garden.

“I think we have been playing good basketball for a while,” head coach Anne Donovan said after the game. “In this game we fought hard and won the game with a couple of key stops. Overall it was a good win against a very good team.”

The two teams fought hard all game long as New York and the Sun are battling for a playoff spot this season. The Liberty was able to finally secure the victory in the final two quarters of the game. Pondexter lead the team in scoring with 24 points and five rebounds, and reached her milestone moment in the fourth quarter of play.

Pondexter had this to say when she was asked about her first bucket in the WNBA, “It was a TV game against Sacramento and it was the worst game of my career. I remember going home and crying. It was so terrible, stank the gym up. From that day on I’ve been playing at a higher level. It’s a great honor and I’m pleased to know that my hard work has paid off, but I still want to win. I still have more to go.”

Guard Leilani Mitchell followed with 15 points, while forwards Janelle McCarville and Plenette Pierson both had nine buckets each, while providing key buckets in the paint for New York in the final moments of the game.

“We are playing hard, we want to make it to the playoffs and we are not going to be denied.” Mitchell said of her team after the game. “As the season goes along we are going to keep getting better and better every game.” In terms of tonight’s game. “We knew they were going to come out fighting and that is exactly what they did. The big thing for us is that we were able to make the big stops when we needed it.”

To round out the Liberty scoring center Taj-McWilliams-Franklin continued her fine play by scoring six points and grabbed five boards for New York. Guard Essence Carson provided a positive spark for New York in the first half of play and finished up the night with five points.

“I was really looking to attack and be aggressive,” Carson said of her play of the bench. “You have got to make sure you are mentally ready at all times and when your number is called you need to make sure you go out to the floor and contribute. Carson who stepped in at the 7:20 mark in the second quarter had a jumper to go along with a strong driving lay-up. The guard also had a huge steal at the 2:46 mark and has provided the team with good energy all season long.  Carson agrees saying, “I would like to think I bring positive energy to the team and that has been really evident in the past few games.”

Connecticut had four players in double digit scoring. The Sun tonight were led by forward Asjha Jones who had 18 points and eight rebounds. Guard Renee Montgomery followed with 14 points to go along with five assist, while rookie of the year candidate Tina Charles had a double-double netting 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

In a game that featured 11 lead changes along with the two teams being tied a total of 10 times. The Liberty had the slight edge over the Sun as Plenette Pierson drained two good free throws with 24 seconds left to give New York the 34-31 lead.  Asjha Jones would cut give Connecticut much needed momentum as she hit a jumper with two seconds left to make the score 34-33 going into half time.

Guard Kara Lawson hit a huge three-pointer at the 8:36 mark to give the Sun the 36-34 lead. Leilani Mitchell responded by draining two huge three-points shots for the 44-36 New York lead. The Sun would start to cut into that lead at the 4:11 mark, when Tina Charles took charge and drove in for a strong lay-up to cut the New York lead to 44-41.

Renee Montgomery would keep chipping away and give Connecticut the lead on a series which included two good free throws, along with a running hook shot at the 3:21 mark. The Sun would continue to build on that lead with a series that consisted of Asjha Jones hitting two good free throws along with a jumper at the 2:15 mark which made the score 50-44.  Charles would continue to add to that lead with a lay-up with 1:58 left. The Liberty started to show life in the last minute of the third quarter as Cappie Pondexter made a strong move to the hoop for a lay-up. Leilani Mitchell hit two good free throws, and got a huge steal with 58 seconds left. Pondexter would work her final second magic and make a jumper with 23 seconds remaining to cut the Sun lead to 52-50.

Fans would start to get fired up as Liberty great Teresa Weatherspoon got the 9,341 on their feet. The energetic crowd started to rock the Garden and give New York the boost of energy it needed for a huge fourth quarter run. Taj McWilliams-Franklin had a huge rebound and a put-back lay-up at the 7:59 mark to cut the Sun lead to 56-54 in the start of the frame. Plenette Pierson would tie the two teams up with a lay-up with 7:12 to go. The milestone moment for Pondexter came at the 6:05 mark as the guard hit a jumper to make the score 60-56.

Pondexter would continue to have a hot shooters touch, as she hit a huge three-point shot, with 3:37 to go to give New York the 65-63 lead. Right after the officials time out at 2:59 the Sun had a huge steal by Sandrine Gruda, while Renee Montgomery was fouled and hit two good free throws. Those free throws would tie the two teams up 65-65 with 2:40 remaining. A steal with 30 seconds remaining by Taj-McWilliams Franklin led to a Connecticut foul on Cappie Pondexter. The guard would hit two good free throws to give New York the 70-67 lead. The Sun would continue to foul in the last couple of seconds to play as Janel McCarville hit a free throw and make a thunderous block to help secure the 71-67 victory.

“Everyone in the east this year is strong, Connecticut is no exception,” McCarville said after the game. “They were bound to make runs in this game and we knew it, it’s just a matter of how we responded to it.” The forward would continue saying, “They got in, they took the lead, but we were able to fight, keep our position and not give too much, and we were able to make the lat run in the game in order to get the win.”

Pondexter agrees with her teammate saying, “Any given night any team can win no matter what the record it. It’s weird because we’ve been saying that we’re a really good team, our record didn’t really show it and then we started to fall short in games in the fourth quarter. I am grateful though that we were able to learn those tough lessons because now they are starting to show off.”

New York now takes firm control of fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The playoff push continues for the Liberty, as the team now travels to take on the Indiana Fever for another vital game on Tuesday. The Liberty will return home for a 7:30 p.m. Friday night game against the third-seeded Washington Mystics.

It was another gut wrenching back-and-forth affair between two competitive teams, as there was 19 lead changes along with the two teams being tied a whopping 14 times. Gritty defensive play and key buckets in the fourth quarter eventually gave the Liberty the much needed victory, as New York is now the fourth seeded team in the Eastern Conference.

Leading the way for New York was guard Cappie Pondexter who had 20 points; following was forward Janel McCarville who had 15 points. Taj McWilliams Franklin and Plenette Pierson both had 14 points each and Leilani Mitchell had 12 points with some crucial three-pointers down the stretch for the team.

“Honestly just going into the fourth quarter it was just one of those games where we would have to grind it out,” Liberty head coach Anne Donovan said. “Los Angeles played with a ton of confidence and we allowed them to play with confidence through three quarters.”

Helping out with the Sparks confidence was the play of legendary center Tina Thompson who had 18 points. Following was guard Marie Ferdinand-Harris who had 17 points. Forward Noelle Quinn had 13 points, while DeLisha Milton-Jones rounded out the scoring with 10 points and five rebounds.

“It was definitely a playoff feel tonight. I thought it was a good test for us,” Sparks head coach Jennifer Gillom said. “It was a good matchup for us, a good one but a tough one as well. I thought they had a really good balance scoring on the inside, outside, which was a tough matchup for us. But I thought our team played well up until the last two or three minutes of the game and that’s showing signs of growth.”

The crowd of 14,307 along with special guest alumni Teresa Weatherspoon and Sue Wicks were on hand to witness one of the more thrilling victories for New York in this young 2010 season. As the Liberty had the 45-43 lead over the Sparks going into the locker room at halftime, as Plenette Pierson drove a lay-up along with two good free throws by Mitchell to give them that lead.

Los Angeles would make the final two quarters close by controlling much of the third quarter. DeLisha Milton-Jones had a driving lay-up at the 4:30 mark in the third quarter to give the Sparks the 53-52 lead. Marie Ferdinand-Harris hit a jumper with 3:36 remaining to give Los Angeles the 55-54 lead. The end of the third quarter would not end the way New York wanted it too as two good free throws by Milton-Jones with 23 seconds left to give the Sparks the 63-62 lead.

“I think the difference in the third quarter was our ball movement,” Milton-Jones said of the Sparks turn around in that frame. “Our aggressiveness as a team really turned on our offense.  When we are aggressive like that then the baskets come a lot easier and you have scoring all over the court, as opposed to one or two players dominating.”

In the fourth quarter New York would really step up the energy and their play as Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who was so strong in the inside post all night long had a rebound and a lay-up at the 9:44 mark to give New York the 64-63 lead. Leilani Mitchell hit one of her many huge three point shots at the 8:20 mark to make it 67-66 in favor of New York.

“I just wanted to go out there and create something in the post, get the team going” McWilliams-Franklin said after the game. “For me to be able to get the rebounds tonight it was about timing and boxing the other team out and a lot of those missed shots were falling to me perfectly. I was there and had some put backs, and that is something that we as a team are going to have to do every night is to get those rebounds.”

Janelle McCarville who was another strong performer for New York tonight hit a jumper with 5:12 remaining as New York tried to keep pace with Los Angeles, who kept fighting back with key buckets all evening long. One of the bigger baskets for the Sparks was a jumper by Noelle Quinn at the 3:45 mark to cut the Liberty lead to 73-72.  The heart of the team started to show in the final minutes as Cappie Pondexter had a huge block and defensive rebound which led to a Plenette Pierson jumper for the 75-72 lead with 2:17 remaining.

“For the first time in a long time the ball went into the net more than it usually does,” McCarville said of her 7-of-12 shooting from the field, which included some nice jump shots. “Everyone has been in my ear and getting my confidence up, telling me to stop thinking and keep shooting. I couldn’t be prouder of the win tonight, with all of the stars that are on the Sparks we were able to take care of business and it was a great win.”

Leilani Mitchell who has been playing huge all season long for the Liberty had series including a driving lay-up; a steal and  two good free throws to give New York the 79-72 lead. Forward Nicole Powell had her second huge three-point shot of the night with 1:52 remaining to make the lead 82-72.  New York continued to grind out the game as McCarville continued a fine offensive showing by hitting a driving lay-up with 48.9 seconds left to pad the Liberty lead to 86-76. Mitchell had two good free throws to make the score 88-79 as Plenette Pierson had a huge block to go along with a Pondexter rebound to cap the New York victory.

“Leilani is playing with so much confidence right now,” Anne Donovan said of her point guard. “She came into this year really fighting for the point guard position and gained the trust of the players with every practice and every game. What we have now is the product of a lot of hard work on Leilani’s part.”

Of the fourth quarter the point guard had this to say, “The last few minutes we really buckled down and we knew we needed a win. We’re still trying to make the playoffs so I think when it came down to it we really got the stops when we needed them.”

The quest for a playoff spot continues for New York as they face the Connecticut Sun for a 4:30 p.m. Sunday evening game at Madison Square Garden.

That was tough enough for New York Knicks fans to take (although not nearly as difficult as it was for Cleveland Cavaliers fans to watch).

But, if you happen to be a New York fan of the orange and blue in both basketball and baseball, ESPN probably annoyed you even further on Monday night.

The New York Mets had the night off after limping home with an awful 2-9 road trip and Met fans like myself were trying to forget about the western excursion which might have ended the Mets’ season by taking in ESPN’s broadcast of the Detroit Tigers at the Tampa Bay Rays.

So, with Detroit’s Max Scherzer and Tampa Bay’s Matt Garza locked in a scoreless, dual no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning, what did ESPN do?

Well, the network which sold out to give “LeBrat” his platform to further sell his “LeBrand” eighteen days earlier, decided to cut away from the no-hit duel in Tampa to celebrate the pursuit of admitted steroid abuser Alex Rodriguez’s chase for 600 career home runs in Cleveland.

Rather than see Scherzer attempt to hold Tampa Bay at bay and keep up with Garza’s no-hit bid, we witnessed a player stuck on 599 career homers — some legitimate, many illegally aided — uneventfully and weakly ground out.

If a Met fan wanted to see that, he or she could have joined Yankee fans (not very likely) and tuned into the YES network to see A-Roid try to finish cheating his way to 600 home runs. I don’t know about other Met fans, but I preferred to stick with pitching history attempting to be made, especially knowing Tampa Bay had been one of just three franchises (including the Mets) never to have thrown a no-hitter.

I only missed one out, and it was long before Scherzer lost both his no-hitter and his shutout on a Matt Joyce grand slam.

However, as a not only a baseball fan but a fan of what’s right, I was disgusted at the attention ESPN paid to the Yankees’ charlatan.

How many homers would A-Fraud have been going for on Monday night had he not cheated himself and the sport that made him famous? Would it have been 400? 450? Whatever the number, it certainly would have fallen far shy of 600. Yet, ESPN cut way from the shot at real history to the attempt at artificial history as if every one of the first 599 Rodriguez homers were honestly earned.

We of course know that Rodriguez is by no means the only major leaguer ever to cheat his way into the record books. But, when a network as big as ESPN sells out and rewards that type of player with that kind of coverage in the hunt of a phony milestone, it sends a severely wrong message to the future fans of the game growing up with baseball today.

It tells kids (and the rest of us), “It doesn’t matter whether it was accomplished legitimately or through dishonest means, it will be celebrated and honored just the same.”

Of course, it got even tougher for Met fans later on, as Garza completed the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay history (which goes back 36 years less than Met history), leaving only the San Diego Padres and the Mets as the only two major league franchises without a no-hitter.

But, that would have happened regardless. Making it tougher for Met fans though, was seeing ESPN sell out and paint the cross-town rival Rodriguez as if he was truly trying to accomplish something meaningful instead of the sham that it is.

For the second time this month, ESPN chose the wrong thing over the right one, all in the name of money.

And, why? Because fans make it so. Fans tuned into James’ “Decision” in droves, and made fans like myself be among the minority for wanting to see a no-hit battle over A-Roid’s fake chase to 600.

Until most fans finally stick up for what’s right, huge media outlets like ESPN will be there waiting to pounce and make money with no conscience at all.