NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The New York Liberty's goal for the second half of the season is to win 11 of their remaining games. They got off to a good start in their return from the WNBA's Olympic break. <\/p>\n
Cappie Pondexter scored 24 points to lead the Liberty to a 79-66 victory over the first-place Connecticut Sun on Thursday night. <\/p>\n
Plenette Pierson, returning after missing the New York's last eight games before the hiatus due to a left knee strain, had 16 points to help the Liberty (7-12) snap a three-game skid. <\/p>\n
''If we win 11 games we give ourselves a chance to make a playoff push,'' Pondexter said. ''It's attainable. Right now we got 10 to go. I really feel we have a chance to win some games on the road.'' <\/p>\n
The Liberty, who have 15 games remaining, play their next five on the road - starting with a rematch against Connecticut on Saturday night. They then close with seven of their last 10 at home. <\/p>\n
Renee Montgomery scored 16 points, and Allison Hightower and Mistie Mims added 12 each for the Sun (15-5), who snapped a five-game winning streak. <\/p>\n
''We struggled tonight,'' Connecticut coach Mike Thibault said. ''We shot terrible in the second half and we turned it over.'' <\/p>\n
Tina Charles, who helped lead the United States to a gold medal at the London Games, had just four points and 12 rebounds, while fellow Olympian Asjha Jones sat out due to a strained left Achilles' tendon - an injury she was dealing with before the break. <\/p>\n
Connecticut dropped to 8-2 on the road and had its lead over second-place Indiana in the Eastern Conference cut to three games. <\/p>\n
While the Olympic break helped teams like the Liberty get healthy and refreshed, Thibault believes it disrupted the Sun's momentum. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nPondexter, Pierson help Liberty beat Sun 79-66<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"