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 WNBA Recap (Charlotte-New York) Posted: Mon July 26, 1999 at 11:20 p.m. EDT CHARLOTTE 75, NEW YORK 69 (OT)NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Crystal Robinson and the New York Liberty made a valiant second-half comeback but went cold in overtime, enduring their third straight defeat with a 75-69 loss to the Charlotte Sting. Robinson buried her fifth 3-pointer of the second half and sixth of the game with 5.2 seconds left in regulation, pulling the Liberty even, 64-64, after they had trailed for the last 34 minutes. Dawn Staley, who drained a 3-pointer with 1:54 remaining to give Charlotte a 62-58 advantage, had a chance to win it but missed a 10-foot bank shot in the waning moments. She atoned for that miss 37 seconds into overtime, hitting a long jumper that put the Sting ahead for good. "I try to have the ball in my hands as much as possible because I want the pressure of winning or losing on my shoulders," Staley said. New York watched Charlotte register the first eight points of the extra session and failed to score until Teresa Weatherspoon sank a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left, making it 72-67. But it was too late for the Liberty, who had overcome a 13-point halftime deficit. Robinson scored a career-high 23 points for the second straight game but missed both of her shots in the extra session as New York fell into a tie with Detroit for first place in the Eastern Conference. "I've been on a roll lately but we've been losing, so maybe someone else needs to score," Robinson said. "They defended me well in overtime. They knew they had to take me out of the game. Every time I got the ball, they closed down." Rhonda Mapp had 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for the Sting, who moved within one-half game of the top spot in the East. Staley had 15 points and eight assists, Andrea Stinson contributed 15 points and each sank a pair of free throws in the extra session. The Liberty lost in overtime for the second straight game. They led by as many as 16 points in the first half on Saturday at Los Angeles before blowing that lead. The Sparks used a 12-2 run to open the extra session en route to a 75-72 victory. "We fought back enough to win this game with the help of Crystal Robinson and her shooting," said New York coach Richie Adubato. "Too bad we couldn't take advantage of it. This loss is pretty hard to accept." Stinson scored seven points in a 15-2 run late in the first half that gave Charlotte a 33-17 cushion with 4:16 left. Mapp had 10 points and 10 rebounds through 20 minutes as the Sting grabbed a 40-27 advantage. The momentum began to turn in New York's favor just 3:43 into the second half when Sue Wicks took an elbow to the neck from Mapp, who was called for a technical foul. Vickie Johnson sank that free throw and Wicks hit a pair to spark a 15-7 run, which included two 3-pointers by Robinson and pulled the Liberty within 49-44. "We knew New York was going to make a run on us," said Charlotte coach Dan Hughes. "A team as good as New York is going to make a run on you, so we were well-prepared for that." The game was a tight battle for the rest of regulation but New York was unable to take the lead. Robinson drained a 3-pointer to pull the Liberty within 62-61 with 44 seconds left, but Mapp answered by hitting a layup with 16.3 to go. © 2000 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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