http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/players/leilani_mitchell/135232 Recent articles about Leilani Mitchell en-us The New York Liberty vs Connecticut Sun game was “the best of times, the worst of times.” The first two and half quarters was the worst of times for their offense. But on a night where Katie Smith moved into second place on the all-time WNBA scoring list and Chubby Checker did the “Twist”, Cappie Pondexter and Leilani Mitchell drove the Liberty back from a 13 point third quarter deficit to win 78-68 to stay undefeated in the Prudential Center. It was especially maddening for Coach Bill Laimbeer. “Absolutely we talked about adjustments at the half and in very stern language,” he said after the first half. The Liberty were able to neutralize the reigning MVP Tina Charles who the Liberty held to only seven points, but had no answer for Kara Lawson and Allison Hightower who combined for 33 of the Sun’s 68 points. At the start third quarter, the Liberty were seen to be treading water. Even though they were playing exceptional defense, their offense was still sputtering. However, when Coa... Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:20:08 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_puts_a_twist_on_sun/13853195 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_puts_a_twist_on_sun/13853195 Liberty Puts a “Twist” on Sun http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/liberty_puts_a_twist_on_sun/13853195 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Cappie Pondexter scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half, Katie Smith moved into second place on the WNBA's career scoring list and the New York Liberty rallied to beat the Connecticut Sun 78-68 on Friday night. New York (4-2) trailed 47-36 midway through the third before Pondexter scored eight points in the final 4:50 of the period, including a jumper just before the end of the quarter that gave New York a 56-55 lead - its first since early in the game. She had 14 points in the third and then kept it going in the fourth, scoring four of the Liberty's first nine points as New York extended its lead to 11. Allison Hightower scored 17 points and Kara Lawson added 16 for the Sun (2-4), who pulled to 72-68 with 1:20 left but could get no closer. Leilani Mitchell scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and also had nine rebounds and five assists for the Liberty. Smith passed Lisa Leslie for second place on the league's career scoring list with a 3-pointer midway through the first qua Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:53:16 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_78_sun_68/13839173 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_78_sun_68/13839173 Liberty 78, Sun 68 http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/liberty_78_sun_68/13839173 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ee0f2d4822816ce1405f04fc11093806fad6be9/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_79c4.jpg It was Dad’s and Daughter’s Game and with former Knicks Larry Johnson, Allan Houston, and Herb Williams, and current Knick J.R. Smith in attendance at the Prudential Center, the New York Liberty were out to avenge a beating they received down in Atlanta Friday Night against the team they were playing tonight. The Flame was hot and confident at 4-0 and the Liberty at 2-2, lost their leading scorer Essence Carson to an ACL injury for the season in that aforementioned road travesty. “I have one less weapon I can go too. She is a very stable starter. We are going to miss her a lot.” Coach Laimbeer explained. The Liberty survived deficits along the way to rally for their third home win in as many tries. The difference was in the defensive fury. “The defense got stops. We made them a perimeter team instead of letting them attack. And we made shots,” explained Kelsey Bone. The Liberty survived Jasmine Thomas and her seven first quarter points by getting heavy contributions by their big pla... Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:01:24 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/liberty_furious_fourth_hands_atlanta_first_loss/13805885 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/liberty_furious_fourth_hands_atlanta_first_loss/13805885 Liberty Furious Fourth Hands Atlanta First Loss http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/liberty_furious_fourth_hands_atlanta_first_loss/13805885 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png NEWARK, N.J. -- Just two days after losing by 19 points at Atlanta, the New York Liberty were determined to make up for their poor performance. Cappie Pondexter and Plenette Pierson scored 17 points each to lead the Liberty past the Dream 76-67 on Sunday, handing Atlanta its first loss this season. Kara Braxton added 14 points to help New York (3-2) improve to 3-0 at home. Leilani Mitchell, the Liberty's 5-foot-5 reserve guard, had a team-high seven rebounds, Pondexter added six boards and six assists, and rookie Kelsey Bone also had six rebounds. "We were all disappointed as a unit in Atlanta," Pondexter said. "The way we played there was no excuse. We were not happy. They got going earlier there and this time we definitely wanted to take that away from them. I thought Kara Braxton, Plenette Pierson, Bone, (Toni) Young, they all came out and did a collective job as posts to neutralize their two bigs. Kudos to them, they did awesome." Pondexter, 3 for 13 from the field through the firs Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:18:40 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/pondexter_liberty_hand_dream_first_loss_of_season/13797887 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/pondexter_liberty_hand_dream_first_loss_of_season/13797887 Pondexter, Liberty hand Dream first loss of season http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/pondexter_liberty_hand_dream_first_loss_of_season/13797887 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/8/d8444d6cb439dca4581b1433da7f7ce91825570f/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_6e45.jpg Connecticut Sun’s Mistie Bass, right, strips the ball from New York Liberty’s Kelsey Bone. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) It was a glorious opening week for the WNBA.  Brittney Griner dunked twice in a game for the Mercury. Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne exploded for 22 points and showed a lot of moves and Skylar Diggins of Tulsa penetrated defenses and had some amazing passes in an opening loss. The New York Liberty’s first round pick Kelsey Bone had a solid effort in the season opener against former coach Anne Donovan and the Connecticut Sun. Bone scored ten points and grabbed eight boards in the Liberty’ opening game loss to the Sun 81-69. The Liberty was without Cheryl Ford and Plenette Pierson but they hung in the first half due to the scoring prowess of Cappie Pondexter, who finished with 23 points, and kept New York in the game. Her five point run brought NY from an early 14-4 deficit and more buckets put NY up 20-19 after one. However they could not offset the movement and precise thr... Wed, 29 May 2013 07:46:14 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/sun_falls_on_liberty_in_the_mohegan/13714973 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/sun_falls_on_liberty_in_the_mohegan/13714973 SUN FALLS ON LIBERTY IN THE MOHEGAN http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/sun_falls_on_liberty_in_the_mohegan/13714973 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png PHOENIX (AP) -- Cappie Pondexter scored 31 points to lead the New York Liberty to an 89-77 victory over Phoenix on Thursday night, handing the Mercury their ninth straight loss. Nicole Powell and Leilani Mitchell scored 13 points each, Plenette Pierson had 12 points and Kara Braxton added 12 points and nine rebounds to help the Liberty (9-13) win for the third time in four games since the league's month-long Olympic break. Pondexter shot 9 for 15 from the field -- 5 for 9 on 3pointers -- and was 8 for 8 from the free-throw line. New York shot 47 percent (30 for 64), including 13 for 27 on 3s, and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of Chicago and two games behind third-place Atlanta. DeWanna Bonner scored 34 points for Phoenix (4-18), which continued to play without several of its injured regulars. The Liberty led by 18 in the first half before Phoenix rallied to pull to 56-53 midway through the third period on Bonner's layup. However, Pondexte Fri, 24 Aug 2012 01:04:29 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/short_handed_mercury_lose_ninth_straight/11535634 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/short_handed_mercury_lose_ninth_straight/11535634 Short-handed Mercury lose ninth straight http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/short_handed_mercury_lose_ninth_straight/11535634 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ee0f2d4822816ce1405f04fc11093806fad6be9/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_79c4.jpg Cappie Pondexter scored 31 points to lead the New York Liberty to an 89-77 victory over Phoenix on Thursday night, handing the Mercury their ninth straight loss. Nicole Powell and Leilani Mitchell scored 13 points each, Plenette Pierson had 12 points and Kara Braxton added 12 points and nine rebounds to help the Liberty (9-13) win for the third time in four games since the league's month-long Olympic break. Pondexter shot 9 for 15 from the field - 5 for 9 on 3pointers - and was 8 for 8 from the free-throw line. New York shot 47 percent (30 for 64), including 13 for 27 on 3s, and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of Chicago and two games behind third-place Atlanta. DeWanna Bonner scored 34 points for Phoenix (4-18), which continued to play without several of its injured regulars. The Liberty led by 18 in the first half before Phoenix rallied to pull to 56-53 midway through the third period on Bonner's layup. However, Pondexter scored nine poin Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:47:47 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_89_mercury_77/11535475 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_89_mercury_77/11535475 Liberty 89, Mercury 77 http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/liberty_89_mercury_77/11535475 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ee0f2d4822816ce1405f04fc11093806fad6be9/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_79c4.jpg Angel McCoughtry scored 23 points and Sancho Lyttle added 19 to lead the Atlanta Dream to a 74-64 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday. McCoughtry shot 7 for 20 from the field and 7 for 9 on free throws in her return after missing two games due to a knee injury, helping the Dream (5-7) snap a two-game skid. Leilani Mitchell scored 16 points, Kara Braxton had 14, and Cappie Pondexter and DeMya Walker added 12 each as New York (4-9) lost for the fourth time in five games. New York's lone win during that stretch came at Atlanta last Tuesday in a game McCoughtry missed. After Walker's layup gave New York a 42-38 lead 13 seconds into the third quarter, Atlanta took control of the game with a 20-2 run. The Liberty got no closer than eight the rest of the way. McCoughtry started it off with a 3 and Aneika Henry's layup put the Dream ahead for good with 9:12 remaining in the third. McCoughtry's layup with 7 1/2 to go in the period put Atlanta ahead 49-42. Kia Vaughn's jumper ended the Sun, 24 Jun 2012 18:35:09 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/dream_74_liberty_64/11081411 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/dream_74_liberty_64/11081411 Dream 74, Liberty 64 http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/dream_74_liberty_64/11081411 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/b/7bde49ca48792ebaa0c9a6558b13930ff2de87e1/mini/dream-mccoughtry-pumps.jpg Cappie Pondexter scored 25 points, the New York Liberty took control with a 30-5 first-half run and survived a frantic fourth quarter for their first road victory of the season, 76-70 over the Washington Mystics on Friday night. Leilani Mitchell hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points for the Liberty, winners of three straight after opening the season 0-5. The latest victory also snapped a five-game losing streak in Washington dating to the 2009 season. The Liberty lost their three previous road games this season by an average of 21.3 points. New York shot 60 percent (21 of 35) from the field in the first half, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc and held a 29 point with just under nine minutes 9 in the second quarter. Crystal Langhorne led the Mystics (1-5) with 24 points. Fri, 08 Jun 2012 21:33:09 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_76_mystics_70/10973264 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_76_mystics_70/10973264 Liberty 76, Mystics 70 http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/liberty_76_mystics_70/10973264 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ee0f2d4822816ce1405f04fc11093806fad6be9/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_79c4.jpg 1 2 3 4 FINAL Liberty 35 20 10 11 76 Mystics 13 20 17 20 70 TOP PERFORMERS Mystics Liberty Crystal Langhorne PTS 24 Cappie Pondexter PTS 25 Michelle Snow REB 12 DeMya Walker REB 6 Ajavon / Quinn AST 4 Essence Carson AST 5 3 tied STL 2 Mitchell / Pondexter STL 2 N/A BLK 0 Essence Carson BLK 3 3 tied TO 3 Cappie Pondexter TO 4 Natalie Nosovel +/- +9 Leilani Mitchell +/- +14 MYSTICS PLAYER OF THE GAME Crystal Langhorne. For most of the game, Langhorne was the only player in double figures for the Mystics. She almost single-handidly brought the Mystics back from a 22 point halftime deficit, slashing to the rim... Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:03:53 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/mystics_late_rally_falls_short_against_liberty/10976060 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/mystics_late_rally_falls_short_against_liberty/10976060 Mystics Late Rally Falls Short Against Liberty http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/mystics_late_rally_falls_short_against_liberty/10976060 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ee0f2d4822816ce1405f04fc11093806fad6be9/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_79c4.jpg NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Cappie Pondexter scored 26 points and Leilani Mitchell added 18 to help the New York Liberty to a 79-74 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night. The victory was the second straight for the Liberty (2-5), who started off the WNBA season with five straight losses. Atlanta dropped to 2-4 after losing its second straight contest. The Liberty took control of the game in the second part of the fourth quarter with Pondexter, who scored nine in the final quarter, making clutch shots throughout. Her driving goal with 8:29 left gave the Liberty the lead for good and her three-point play with 4:36 left pushed the lead to 70-66. Angel McCoughtry had 21 points and 14 rebounds to pace Atlanta, while Aneika Henry had 14 and Sancho Lyttle 12 points for the Dream. New York held Atlanta to just six points over the final 4:53 to secure the win. Tue, 05 Jun 2012 21:26:38 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/dream_cant_overcome_liberty_in_the_clutch/10949240 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/dream_cant_overcome_liberty_in_the_clutch/10949240 Dream can't overcome Liberty in the clutch http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/dream_cant_overcome_liberty_in_the_clutch/10949240 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ee0f2d4822816ce1405f04fc11093806fad6be9/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_79c4.jpg Cappie Pondexter scored 26 points and Leilani Mitchell added 18 to help the New York Liberty to a 79-74 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night. The victory was the second straight for the Liberty (2-5), who started off the WNBA season with five straight losses. Atlanta dropped to 2-4 after losing its second straight contest. The Liberty took control of the game in the second part of the fourth quarter with Pondexter, who scored nine in the final quarter, making clutch shots throughout. Her driving goal with 8:29 left gave the Liberty the lead for good and her three-point play with 4:36 left pushed the lead to 70-66. Angel McCoughtry had 21 points and 14 rebounds to pace Atlanta, while Aneika Henry had 14 and Sancho Lyttle 12 points for the Dream. New York held Atlanta to just six points over the final 4:53 to secure the win. The two teams traded leads over the first three quarter. Atlanta led 62-61 heading into the final period. Pondexter hit a jumper in the lane after putting on a dribbling ex Tue, 05 Jun 2012 21:25:28 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_79_dream_74/10949192 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_79_dream_74/10949192 Liberty 79, Dream 74 http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/liberty_79_dream_74/10949192 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/8/d8444d6cb439dca4581b1433da7f7ce91825570f/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_6e45.jpg Cappie Pondexter scored 25 points to lead New York to an 87-72 victory over the Indiana Fever on Sunday night, snapping the Liberty's longest winless start in franchise history. Essence Carson had 16 points and Plenette Pierson added 14 for New York (1-5), which lost by 23 points at Indiana the previous night. Leilani Mitchell scored 13 points and Kia Vaughn had 10. Tamika Catchings scored 19 points and Katie Douglas had 15 for the Fever (4-1). Briann January added 12 points and Shavonte Zellous 10. The Liberty, who shot 44 percent (31 for 70), led by double digits from late in the second quarter until the Fever made a run down the stretch in the fourth. After Vaughn's jumper with 6:20 to go put the Liberty ahead 75-58, matching its largest lead of the game, the Fever used a 12-2 run to pull within seven with 3:20 to go. January and Jessica Davenport had four points each during Indiana's spurt. However, Pondexter scored nine points as the Liberty outscored the Fever 12-6 the rest of the way t Sun, 03 Jun 2012 20:46:14 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_87_fever_72/10932644 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_87_fever_72/10932644 Liberty 87, Fever 72 http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/liberty_87_fever_72/10932644 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ee0f2d4822816ce1405f04fc11093806fad6be9/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_79c4.jpg The New York Liberty managed to split two games with the Minnesota Lynx last season despite awful performances from top scorer Cappie Pondexter. They may need a better effort from her this time with the defending WNBA champions seemingly already clicking on all cylinders. Off to their worst start since 2009, the Liberty look to avoid falling to 0-3 on Tuesday night when they host the Lynx at the Prudential Center. These teams split two September meetings a year ago, as Pondexter averaged 11.0 points on 4-of-26 shooting. She scored 17.4 per game overall to lead the Liberty in 2011 while shooting 40.2 percent. Pondexter averaged 18.5 points on 41.4 percent shooting in losses to Connecticut on Saturday and Sunday to begin 2012. Her backcourt mate, Leilani Mitchell, is off to a poor start with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting and seven assists. Mitchell had a career-high 24 points in last year's 78-62 win at Minnesota, which was New York's most lopsided victory in this series. The Liberty had t Tue, 22 May 2012 10:30:33 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/lynx_hit_the_road_to_face_struggling_liberty/10847270 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/lynx_hit_the_road_to_face_struggling_liberty/10847270 Lynx hit the road to face struggling Liberty http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/lynx_hit_the_road_to_face_struggling_liberty/10847270 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ee0f2d4822816ce1405f04fc11093806fad6be9/mini/WNBA_Sky_vs_79c4.jpg Looking to bolster their frontcourt, the New York Liberty are taking a chance on former Tennessee center Kelley Cain. The Liberty selected the 6-foot-6 Cain with the seventh overall pick in Monday's WNBA draft. Cain, a prolific shot-blocker who redshirted her first year at Tennessee after having surgery on the patella in her right knee, averaged 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 92 games. She set the Lady Vols' single-season record with 113 blocks as a sophomore, including 12 against LSU on Feb. 22, 2010. ''I liked her hands and her ability to score around the (basket),'' Liberty coach and general manager John Whisenant said. ''We need that on our team. Our scoring inside gets you outside shots more wide open. That's one of the things I was looking for.'' Cain had a second procedure on the knee in 2009, and then decided to give up her final season of eligibility last year after having hip surgery. ''We just saw her as having the best upside to b Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:15:48 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_take_chance_on_tennessees_kelley_cain/10574437 http://network.yardbarker.com/wnba/article_external/liberty_take_chance_on_tennessees_kelley_cain/10574437 Liberty take chance on Tennessee's Kelley Cain http://www.yardbarker.com/wnba/articles/liberty_take_chance_on_tennessees_kelley_cain/10574437 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png