Sun Beat Liberty 65-60 In Playoff Opener

UNCASVILLE

A double-digit lead had slowly whittled away and the Connecticut Sun, finding themselves tied with the New York Liberty late in the third quarter, used much of their roster to finally find some lasting separation Thursday night in their WNBA playoff opener.

Winning a championship isn't about being top-heavy. It's about having depth. And the Sun showed how many options they have while regrouping and cruising to a relatively easy 65-60 victory before 5,520 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

"We had a good run," coach Mike Thibault said of a 12-point burst to break a 45-all tie. "We were terrible in the third quarter. We missed layups. We missed jump shots. We gave them second shots. We made three or four stops and we had an advantage again. I'm happy with the effort but we need to play better."

Tan White created a turnover and fed Kara Lawson for a basket that gave the Sun a 47-45 lead, and later made another steal for an uncontested basket. The reserve guard gave a stale offense needed boosts. In between, there were key baskets by the ailing Asjha Jones, the veteran forward still recuperating from an Achilles injury, and Kara Lawson, the veteran guard.

"I'm getting stronger every day," Jones said.

Tina Charles, named the WNBA MVP in a pre-game press conference, led the Sun with 17 points, but the Sun didn't have to lean on her for every key play. In fact, she was on the bench for the 12-0 run. Jones, who had played just 17 combined minutes in her first two games back from injury, had 10 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes.

Sitting next to Jones in a post-game press conference, Thibault said, "We've got a warrior here."

Allison Hightower had nine points, Lawson eight and Montgomery seven for the Sun, who led 27-13 in the first quarter but allowed the Liberty, now winless in four tries at Mohegan, to hang around.

Game 2 of the best-of-three semifinal series is Saturday in Newark, N.J. Game 3, if necessary, would be back at Mohegan Monday night. The Sun have not lost back-to-back games all season and have won four of five against the Liberty.

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Sun Beat Liberty 65-60 In Playoff Opener