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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
 
CHARLOTTE (AP) -- Tari Phillips and Vickie Johnson scored 15
points apiece Friday night as the New York Liberty beat the
Charlotte Sting 66-56. 
 |   |  | Tari Phillips scored 15 points to pace the Liberty on Friday. |   
New York (16-10) boasts the best mark in the Eastern Conference
and earned its ninth win in 10 games.  The Liberty hold a 1
1/2-game lead over second-place Cleveland for the top spot with
four games remaining. 
   Phillips grabbed 11 rebounds, and Johnson had 10 for a
double-double. Tamika Whitmore had 13 points for New York.
   Charlotte Smith led the Sting (7-19) with a career-high 17
points. Andrea Stinson was held to 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
   New York's starting frontcourt outscored Charlotte's 43-9 and
outrebounded them 22-7.
   Neither team led by more than four points in the first half
until a barrage of 3-pointers by Smith and Stinson helped the Sting
to its largest lead of the game at 28-20.
   New York came storming back to score the final seven points of
the half and cut the Sting's lead to 28-27 at halftime.
   Led by Whitmore and Phillips, the Liberty then scored 11 of the
first 15 points in the second half to open a 38-32 advantage.
   Charlotte cut the lead to 57-54 with 2:35 remaining, but New
York hit nine consecutive free throws down the stretch, including
four by Phillips.
   The Liberty finished 22-for-26 from the line.
   
   
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ALSO SEE 
WNBA Scoreboard
 
 
RECAPS 
Cleveland 80 Detroit 60
New York 66 Charlotte 56
 
Minnesota 68 Miami 44
 
Indiana 73 Portland 58
 
Phoenix 65 Seattle 55
 
 
AUDIO/VIDEO 
  
  New York's Tari Phillips goes baseline for two. 
avi: 414 k 
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 
 
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