Liberty 80 - 66 Sun
Final
  for this game

Liberty-Sun Preview

Aug 29, 2015 - 3:10 PM The New York Liberty cemented their spot in the postseason Friday night. It's looking very unlikely that their next opponent will join them.

The two teams on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference meet Saturday night in Connecticut with the Liberty fresh off the high of clinching a playoff spot and the Sun looking to snap a season-defining six-game losing streak.

The Liberty (19-8) secured their first postseason berth since 2012 with a convincing 81-68 home win over West-leading Minnesota on Friday night.

New York, 2 1/2 games up on Chicago in the East, holds the WNBA's top record with seven games left, and leads the Lynx by two in the loss column. The WNBA's top teams play again Sept. 6 in Minnesota.

New York natives Epiphanny Prince and Tina Charles led the way in the first matchup. Prince had 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting and Charles finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for her 10th double-double.

Charles, averaging 20.5 points over her last six games, joined her hometown team in 2014, while Prince came home this season.

''It's really special for me,'' Charles said. ''I haven't been in the playoffs the last two or three years, but it means more with this franchise. Being home, Epiphanny and I have always dreamed of winning the championship here and now we're one step closer.''

The Sun (12-16) have taken several steps back this month, falling into a tie with Atlanta for last place in the East - 4 1/2 back of Washington for the final playoff spot with six games left.

Connecticut fell by an average of 11.4 points during the first five defeats of its current skid, the first of which was a 90-78 home loss to New York on Aug. 14. The loss to Phoenix on Thursday arguably hurt the most, an 81-80 heartbreaker on a Leilani Mitchell 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Liberty have won their last four matchups against the Sun, including the first two this season. They're 9-5 on the road and had a three-game winning streak away from home snapped with an 80-79 loss on Sunday at Indiana.

The Sun are 7-8 at Mohegan Sun Arena, including three straight losses.

Prince had 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals in New York's win over Connecticut on Aug. 14, while Charles poured in a season-high 31 points. Connecticut's Alex Bentley and Kelsey Bone scored 19 and 17 points, respectively.

Charles had a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds in a 64-57 win over the Sun on July 16 in New York.

''We still have seven games left so a lot can happen,'' Charles said. ''We just need to take care of every game.''






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