Big Third Quarter Still Not Enough For Tulsa Shock

Newson6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma – The Tulsa Shock's second-half comeback fell short in a 94-82 loss to the New York Liberty Thursday.

The Shock (1-7) got off to an awful start, scoring just 14 points in the first quarter and immediately falling behind by 10 points. The Liberty (3-4) outscored it again in the second quarter and carried a 46-32 lead into halftime.

Tulsa made adjustments at halftime, and it showed. The offense came alive in the third quarter, anchored by Elizabeth Cambage. She scored nine consecutive points at one point and a total of 11 in the quarter.

The Shock as a team scored 31 points in the frame, nearly matching its production in the entire first half. Tulsa cut the advantage to seven at the end of the third and drew within one point in the fourth, but could never take lead.

Tulsa kept things close until the final minutes, when the Liberty finished the game on a 9-2 run to seal the victory.

Cambage finished with a team-high 22 points in only 23 minutes off the bench, and went 8-of-9 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. But the rest of the Shock combined to shoot just 40 percent.

Kia Vaughn led all scorers with 24 points for New York, followed closely by teammate Cappie Pondexter with 23 points. As a team, the Liberty shot better than 50 percent from the field and outrebounded Tulsa 35-25.

Thursday's loss ended a three-game home stand for the Shock, which will now go on the road for its next game at 3 p.m. Sunday against the Washington Mystics.