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Liberty advance to Conference Final

Sep 23, 2008 - 1:54 AM UNCASVILLE, Connecticut (Ticker) -- In sealing their trip the Eastern Conference finals Monday night, the New York Liberty accomplished a lot of firsts.

Essence Carson scored 15 points and Erin Thorn hit two crucial free throws in the final seconds as the Liberty eliminated the Connecticut Sun with a 66-62 victory in the decisive Game Three of their conference semifinals series.

Shameka Christon scored 13 points for the Liberty, who advanced past the first round for the first time since 2004.

They will play either the Detroit Shock or Indiana Fever - whose decisive Game Three is on Tuesday night - in the next round with a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line.

Lindsay Whalen gave the Sun their only lead of the second half, when she scored to make it 60-58 with 1:38 remaining. Christon responded with a 3-pointer and Carson added a bucket to give the Liberty a three-point advantage they would not relinquish.

New York held on to the lead thanks in part to Thorn, whose two free throws with 1.5 seconds left provided the final margin and made it impossible for Connecticut to tie the game on its final possession without a rare four-point play.

In the process, the Liberty denied the Sun's attempt to reach the conference finals for the fifth time in six seasons and became the first road team to emerge victorious in a decisive Game Three in the conference semifinals since 2005.

Whalen scored 19 points and Asjha Jones added 18 and 11 rebounds for Connecticut.