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Sun-Liberty Preview

Aug 20, 2009 - 5:20 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Connecticut (13-11) at New York (9-16), 7:30 p.m. EDT

The Connecticut Sun passed their first test without leading scorer Asjha Jones. That gave them a shot at completing a home-and-home sweep of the woeful New York Liberty at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.

Connecticut (13-11) learned Monday that Jones will not be able to practice or play for two weeks due to a sore Achilles' tendon. The All-Star forward averages 16.7 points and is second on the club with 5.9 rebounds per game.

The Sun started second-year forward Kerri Gardin in Jones' place Wednesday and trailed by as many as 17 points against New York (9-16). Connecticut rallied as reserve Amber Holt scored all 12 of her points in the second half en route to a 74-69 win.

"That's why you just keep playing," coach Mike Thibault said. "You fight your way out of things. We were as ugly as you could get for a while."

Thibault moved Holt from guard to forward as Connecticut adjusted its lineup without Jones. The 6-foot Holt got the bulk of the minutes over Gardin during the second-half comeback.

"We thought this might be an Amber Holt night," Thibault said. "She played enough forward in college. She gives up height, but not a lot of strength."

The Sun shot 25.0 percent from the field in the first half before recovering to shoot 62.1 percent after the break.

"They went to a smaller lineup and we didn't react to it well," New York interim coach Anne Donovan said. "It's very disappointing."

All-Star guard Lindsay Whalen had 20 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double against New York this year. She had 14 points and 12 boards June 7 at MSG in a 66-57 win that spoiled the Liberty's season opener.

While Connecticut is in playoff position, New York is last in the Eastern Conference and has surpassed its loss total from 2008. The Liberty went 19-15 and fell one game shy of the WNBA finals last year.

New York All-Star guard Shameka Christon had eight points on 3-of-11 shooting Wednesday as her recent poor play continued. She averaged 18.2 points on 46.8 percent shooting in her first 16 games, but dropped to 14.1 on 32.0 percent from the field in her last eight.

The Liberty have allowed an average of 87.0 points during a four-game home losing streak. They are the lowest-scoring team in the East at 72.6 points per game.