The Liberty fully anticipated the Phoenix Mercury to come to Friday’s game frustrated and amped up.
The Mercury had lost four in a row, including an epic third-quarter meltdown against the Liberty on Wednesday, during which they went scoreless for more than six minutes.
But Friday was mostly a rock fight, with the Liberty ultimately pulling off a 75-68 win.
Rookie Pauline Astier scored six of her team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to help New York clinch its second straight win and put the Liberty (5-4) above .500.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who wasn’t in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game but was in the team’s closing lineup, finished with 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
It was hard to watch the soporific first half. The Mercury and Liberty missed a combined eight shots before Marine Johannès ended the drought with a 3-pointer.
But the flood gates didn’t open from there as both teams struggled to find their groove.
The Liberty led 34-31 at halftime.
The Mercury shot 9-for-31 (29 percent) from the field in the first two quarters, while the Liberty went 13-for-32 (49 percent). Phoenix scored 11 of its 20 second-quarter points via free throws.
The Liberty are home for a seven-game stretch — their longest of the season. But New York hasn’t been able to capitalize on the situation.
The Liberty lost their first three games of the homestand before using a 23-0 third-quarter run to sprint past the Mercury on Wednesday.
But that momentum didn’t carry over into Friday.
A slow start for both teams resulted in a dull first half. At least fans had some entertainment at halftime with Ellie the Elephant doing a Madonna-themed performance.
The Liberty led by 10 points halfway through the fourth quarter, but the Mercury cut it to two with 3:35 left in regulation. New York, though, managed to survive to pull out its second consecutive win and hand the Mercury their fifth consecutive loss.
The Liberty outrebounded the Mercury 40-23.
New York committed 19 turnovers, which Phoenix turned into 22 points.
