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Monarchs-Liberty Preview

Jul 23, 2009 - 3:07 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Sacramento (3-13) at New York (5-8), 7:30 p.m. EDT

The New York Liberty are starting to play more like the team that nearly reached the WNBA finals last year.

They'll try to record their first three-game winning streak of the season Thursday night when they return home looking to hand the league-worst Sacramento Monarchs a seventh straight loss.

New York (6-8) has struggled through most of the season, losing its first three games and owning the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Those results have been surprising for a team that lost to eventual WNBA champion Detroit in three games in last year's conference finals.

The Liberty seem headed in the right direction with four wins in their last six games. They rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half for a 77-70 win at Chicago on Wednesday.

Unheralded reserve Sidney Spencer scored 12 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers in a key two-minute span. Spencer, acquired from Los Angeles in a preseason trade, was averaging only 2.8 points and 10.1 minutes per game before Wednesday.

"She can shoot the ball, that's why we got her," New York coach Pat Coyle said. "She has a ton of confidence and her teammates have confidence in her. She's not afraid to shoot it."

The Liberty prevailed despite only 11 points from All-Star guard Shameka Christon in 26 foul-plagued minutes. Christon scored a career-high 32 in her last game, and was averaging 21.2 in her previous five.

New York was swept in the two-game season series with Sacramento (3-14) last year, but the Monarchs are a different team in 2009. Their six-year playoff streak is in serious jeopardy due to a poor season in which general manager John Whisenant replaced Jenny Boucek as coach after 13 games.

Last season, Kara Lawson averaged 16.0 points and Ticha Penicheiro 15.0 in the two wins over New York. That duo has struggled this year, with each shooting below 40 percent as Lawson has averaged 8.6 points and Penicheiro 4.2.

Whisenant, who guided Sacramento to its lone WNBA title in 2005, fell to 0-4 in this stint as coach after an 83-75 loss at Connecticut on Wednesday. The Monarchs blew an 11-point halftime lead in their sixth straight loss.

Nicole Powell, named Wednesday as an injury replacement for Los Angeles center Lisa Leslie for Saturday's All-Star game, scored a team-high 18 points for the Monarchs.