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Liberty-Mystics Preview

May 20, 2010 - 5:55 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

New York (1-0) at Washington (2-0), 7:00 p.m. EDT

After ruining two opponents' home openers, the Washington Mystics look to avoid having the same thing done to them.

Washington tries to improve to 3-0 for the second straight season when it hosts the New York Liberty on Friday night.

The Mystics knocked off defending Eastern Conference champion Indiana 72-65 on Saturday, then overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Minnesota 87-76 the next day to start their season with a pair of impressive road victories.

Monique Currie led Washington in scoring for the second straight contest with 27 points, again stepping up her game with Alana Beard out for the season. Currie has averaged 24.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the first two games, helping to offset the loss of Washington's leading scorer the last five seasons.

"There is a real opportunity here with the loss of Alana Beard," said Currie, who scored a career-low 8.2 points per game for the Mystics in 2009.

The presence of veteran Katie Smith has also been key to filling the void left by Beard's absence, as she has averaged 14.0 points and 2.5 assists in her first two games with Washington. Smith and backcourt teammate Lindsey Harding could face one of their toughest challenges so far in Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter.

Acquired from Phoenix in March, Pondexter scored a team-high 22 points with eight assists in her New York debut, an 85-82 victory over visiting Chicago on Sunday. Pondexter's layup 12 seconds into the fourth quarter gave the Liberty a 16-point lead, but New York was outscored 22-6 over the next 6:45.

"When we have a 16-point lead, you gotta push your foot on their throat, and we didn't do it," said Pondexter, fourth in the league last season with 19.1 points per game. "I think we'll be all right. ... It's our first game."

Center Taj McWilliams-Franklin, 39, also had a strong debut with the Liberty, scoring 20 points and grabbing four rebounds.

McWilliams-Franklin averaged 13.3 points and 7.3 boards in 26 games for Washington in 2008 before being traded to Detroit, where she played before signing with New York in April.

Nicole Powell, acquired first overall in the dispersal draft when Sacramento folded, scored 11 points and hit three 3-pointers in her first game with the Liberty.

Washington and New York split four meetings last season, with each team winning once on the other's home floor. Janel McCarville scored the Liberty's last seven points, including a three-point play with 9.1 seconds left, as New York won 60-59 in its last visit to the Verizon Center on Aug. 16.

Washington was held to a season-low point total by New York, which leads the series 30-17.