New York uses 11-0 run to post 68-64 winKym Hampton had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the New York Liberty overcame 7-foot-2 Margo Dydek and the Utah Starzz 68-64 in their home opener before 15,754 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Vickie Johnson's steal and layup with 28 seconds left capped an 11-0 Liberty run over the final 41/2 minutes. Johnson scored seven points in the run and finished with 17 for New York (2-4). Rebecca Lobo scored all but two of her 10 points in the second half.Dydek, who finished 6-of-6 from the field, scored only two points in the second half and led Utah (2-3) with 14 points. Tammi Reiss and Elena Baranova each had nine points and Baranova and Dena Head led the Starzz with six rebounds each.
Johnson's two free throws put the Liberty ahead 60-59 with 2:55 left and Hampton's turnaround jumper over Dydek extended the lead to 62-59.
Dydek showed why she was the Starzz's No. 1 draft pick in the first half with 12-foot jumpers, turnaround shots in the paint and running bankers.
Dydek, who had three fouls at halftime, picked up her fifth foul at 8:10 and sat out for five minutes. She finished with three rebounds and two blocks.
Utah opened a 17-6 lead over the first six minutes with Fran Harris and Dydek combining for 12 points. Down 21-10, New York went on a 16-5 run and tied it at 26 on Teresa Weatherspoon's 3-pointer with 4:16 left.
New York went on a 9-0 run early in the second half as Hampton scored six straight points, Sophia Witherspoon added a layup and Weatherspoon hit a 3-pointer to give New York a 48-44 lead with 10:56 to play.
STING 72, MERCURY 71: Tracy Reid's fallaway 16-foot jumper with 2.4 seconds remaining capped Charlotte's final-minute rally and gave the Sting a 72-71 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
Reid finished with 21 points for the Sting (4-1), who trailed by as many as nine points in the second half, while Vicky Bullett scored 18 and Andrea Congreaves added 12, including two second-half 3-pointers.
Bridget Pettis scored 20 points to lead the Mercury (3-1), who saw their nine-game home winning streak snapped.
Congreaves' second 3-pointer came with 42 seconds remaining and pulled the Sting within 69-68. After Pettis was called for an offensive foul, Christy Smith made an uncontested layup to give the Sting a 70-69 lead, their first since the game's opening minute.
Pettis answered 10 seconds later when she drove the baseline for a layup. But Reid hit her shot while falling backwards to give the Sting their first victory in three trips to Phoenix.