UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) -- Tina Charles collected her first WNBA MVP award, then showed why she deserved the honor. <\/p>\n
Charles had 17 points and four blocks to power the Connecticut Sun to a 65-60 victory over the New York Liberty in their playoff opener on Thursday night. <\/p>\n
''The day is going great,'' the third-year center said. ''I got a (personal) achievement, and we got the first playoff win. Now we have to build on that.'' <\/p>\n
Game 2 of the best-of-three Eastern Conference semifinal series is at the Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday at 7 p.m. <\/p>\n
It was the Sun's first playoff win since they beat the Liberty 73-70 on Sept. 20, 2008. <\/p>\n
''I'm happy with the win,'' Connecticut coach Mike Thibault said. ''I'm happy with the effort. We need to play a lot better.'' <\/p>\n
Asjha Jones had 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists for Connecticut (26-9), which is the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Kara Lawson added eight points, six rebounds and five assists. <\/p>\n
Cappie Pondexter had 14 points, six assists and four steals for the Liberty (15-20). Plenette Pierson finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. <\/p>\n
The Sun and Liberty were tied at 45 with over a minute left in the third quarter when Connecticut pulled away with a 12-0 run. It held New York scoreless for a 6 1\/2-minute stretch that began late in the third quarter and extended into the fourth. <\/p>\n
Renee Montgomery made two free throws early in the fourth quarter, then fed Mistie Mims for a layup. Jones continued Connecticut's run with a pull-up jumper. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read the original: UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) -- Tina Charles collected her first WNBA MVP award, then showed why she deserved the honor. Charles had 17 points and four blocks to power the Connecticut Sun to a 65-60 victory over the New York Liberty in their playoff opener on Thursday night. Continue reading
\nCharles powers Sun past Liberty in playoff opener<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"