2011 New York Liberty season

2011 New York Liberty season
2011 New York Liberty season
Coach	John Whisenant
Arena	Prudential Center
Attendance	7,702 per game
Results
Record	19–15 (.559)
Place	4th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Lost in Conference Semifinals
Team Leaders
Points	Pondexter (17.4)
Rebounds	Vaughn (6.7)
Assists	Pondexter (4.7)
Media
Television	MSG, MSG+; ESPN2, NBATV
	← 2010 season 2012 season →

The 2011 WNBA season was the 15th season for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Liberty played at Prudential Center in New Jersey from 2011 through 2013 during renovations at Madison Square Garden.

Transactions

WNBA draft

The following are the Liberty's selections in the 2011 WNBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/team/country
1	10	Alex Montgomery	United States	Georgia Tech
2	22	Angel Robinson	United States	Marquette
3	34	Mekia Valentine	United States	UC Santa Barbara

Transaction log

March 14: The Liberty re-signed Sidney Spencer.
April 6: The Liberty signed Ewelina Kobryn to a training camp contract.
April 11: The Liberty traded draft rights to Angel Robinson and a second-round pick in the 2012 draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for draft rights to Jessica Breland.
April 11: The Liberty traded Kalana Greene to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for draft rights to Sydney Colson.
May 16: The Liberty signed Whitney Boddie and Crystal Kelly to training camp contracts.
May 27: The Liberty acquired Quanitra Hollingsworth from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the right to swap third-round picks in the 2012 draft.
June 1: The Liberty waived Mekia Valentine, Whitney Boddie, Crystal Kelly, and Ewelina Kobryn.
July 4: The Liberty waived Jessica Breland and signed Felicia Chester.
July 21: The Liberty waived Felicia Chester.
July 28: The Liberty signed Ta'Shia Phillips.
August 4: The Liberty traded Sidney Spencer to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Kara Braxton.^[1]

Trades

Date	Trade
April 11, 2011	To New York Liberty	To Minnesota Lynx
April 11, 2011	Jessica Breland	Angel Robinson and a second-round pick in 2012 draft
April 11, 2011	To New York Liberty	To Connecticut Sun
April 11, 2011	Sydney Colson	Kalana Greene
May 27, 2011	To New York Liberty	To Minnesota Lynx
May 27, 2011	Quanitra Hollingsworth	right to swap third-round picks in 2012 draft
August 4, 2011	To New York Liberty	To Phoenix Mercury
August 4, 2011	Kara Braxton	Sidney Spencer

Personnel changes

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
Alex Montgomery	April 11, 2011	draft pick
Sydney Colson	April 11, 2011	draft pick (from Conn.)
Jessica Breland	April 11, 2011	draft pick (from Minn.)
Quanitra Hollingsworth	May 27, 2011	Minnesota Lynx
Ta'Shia Phillips	July 28, 2011	free agent
Kara Braxton	August 4, 2011	Phoenix Mercury

Subtractions

Player	Left	New team
Taj McWilliams-Franklin	February 18, 2011	Minnesota Lynx
Kalana Greene	April 11, 2011	Connecticut Sun
Nikki Blue	May 15, 2011	free agent
Janel McCarville	June 1, 2011	hiatus
Jessica Breland	July 4, 2011	free agent
Sidney Spencer	August 4, 2011	Phoenix Mercury

Roster

2011 New York Liberty roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB	From	Yrs
F/C	45	Braxton, Kara	6' 6" (1.98m)	225 lb (102kg)	1983-02-18	Georgia	6
G/F	17	Carson, Essence	6' 0" (1.83m)	165 lb (75kg)	1986-07-28	Rutgers	3
G	50	Colson, Sydney	5' 8" (1.73m)	140 lb (64kg)	1989-08-06	Texas A&M	R
C	9	Hollingsworth, Quanitra	6' 5" (1.96m)	200 lb (91kg)	1988-11-15	VCU	2
PG	5	Mitchell, Leilani	5' 5" (1.65m)	128 lb (58kg)	1985-06-15	Utah	3
G/F	22	Montgomery, Alex	6' 1" (1.85m)	185 lb (84kg)	1988-11-12	Georgia Tech	R
C	53	Phillips, Ta'Shia	6' 6" (1.98m)	198 lb (90kg)	1989-01-24	Xavier	R
F/C	33	Pierson, Plenette	6' 2" (1.88m)	180 lb (82kg)	1981-08-31	Texas Tech	8
G	23	Pondexter, Cappie	5' 9" (1.75m)	160 lb (73kg)	1983-01-07	Rutgers	5
F	14	Powell, Nicole	6' 2" (1.88m)	170 lb (77kg)	1982-06-22	Stanford	7
C	15	Vaughn, Kia	6' 4" (1.93m)	198 lb (90kg)	1987-01-24	Rutgers	2

Head coach: John Whisenant (New Mexico State)
Assistant coaches: Monique Ambers (Arizona State); Lady Grooms (Georgia)
Athletic trainer: Lisa White (Stony Brook)
Strength and conditioning coach: Kevin Duffy (Ohio)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench
C	Kia Vaughn	Quanitra Hollingsworth
PF	Plenette Pierson	Kara Braxton Ta'Shia Phillips
SF	Nicole Powell	Alex Montgomery
SG	Cappie Pondexter	Essence Carson
PG	Leilani Mitchell	Sydney Colson

Season standings

Eastern Conference	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Conf.
Indiana Fever ^x	21	13	.618	–	13–4	8–9	13–9
Connecticut Sun ^x	21	13	.618	–	15–2	6–11	14–8
Atlanta Dream ^x	20	14	.588	1.0	11–6	9–8	14–8
New York Liberty ^x	19	15	.559	2.0	12-5	7–10	11–11
Chicago Sky ^o	14	20	.412	7.0	10–7	4–13	10–12
Washington Mystics ^o	6	28	.176	15.0	4–13	2–15	4–18

Schedule

Preseason

2011 Game Log: Preseason

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Opponent	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location/Attendance	Record
1	May 25	10:30am	Washington	57–60	Vaughn (10)	Powell (5)	Powell (4)	Prudential Center 6,472	0–1
2	May 27	7:00pm	China	79–65	N/A	N/A	N/A	Times Union Center N/A	1–1

Regular season

2011 Game Log: Regular Season

June

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Opponent	TV	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location/Attendance	Record
1	June 5	3:00pm	@ Atlanta	SSO	94–88 (OT)	Pierson (25)	Pierson (10)	Pondexter (11)	Philips Arena 8,038	1–0
2	June 10	7:00pm	@ Indiana		81–80	Pondexter (21)	Vaughn (9)	Powell (4)	Conseco Fieldhouse 7,703	2–0
3	June 11	7:00pm	Indiana	MSG	80–86	Carson (23)	Pierson (6)	Powell (5)	Prudential Center 7,835	2–1
4	June 14	7:00pm	Atlanta		58–79	Carson (21)	Carson (8)	Powell (2)	Prudential Center 5,725	2–2
5	June 17	8:30pm	@ Chicago	CN100	73–85	Pondexter (20)	Pondexter (8)	Carson (5)	Allstate Arena 5,718	2–3
6	June 21	10:00pm	@ Los Angeles	ESPN2	91–96	Pondexter (22)	Vaughn (12)	Pondexter Powell (6)	Staples Center 10,389	2–4
7	June 23	12:30pm	@ Tulsa		94–82	Vaughn (24)	Vaughn (12)	Pondexter (10)	BOK Center 4,682	3–4
8	June 26	4:00pm	Los Angeles		77–67	Pondexter (22)	Vaughn (8)	Pondexter (5)	Prudential Center 7,625	4–4
9	June 30	7:30pm	@ Atlanta	SSO	81–87	Pondexter (24)	Pierson Vaughn (7)	Pondexter (6)	Philips Arena 4,423	4–5

July

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Opponent	TV	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location/Attendance	Record
10	July 1	7:00pm	San Antonio	NBATV	81–75	Pondexter (19)	Hollingsworth Vaughn (7)	Pondexter (5)	Prudential Center 6,714	5–5
11	July 8	8:00pm	@ San Antonio	NBATV	76–73	Pondexter (20)	Pierson (10)	Pondexter (7)	AT&T Center 8,100	6–5
12	July 10	4:00pm	Chicago	NBATV MSG+ CN100	80–73	Carson Pondexter (18)	Powell (8)	Pondexter Powell (4)	Prudential Center 7,315	7–5
13	July 13	12:00pm	Atlanta		91–69	Powell (20)	Powell (7)	Carson Mitchell Pondexter (5)	Prudential Center 14,314	8–5
14	July 15	7:00pm	Connecticut	NBATV CSN-NE	59–68	Vaughn (15)	Vaughn (9)	Mitchell (4)	Prudential Center 7,722	8–6
15	July 17	4:00pm	Tulsa	NBATV MSG+	88–57	Pondexter (18)	Vaughn (8)	Mitchell Pondexter Powell (3)	Prudential Center 6,735	9–6
16	July 19	7:30pm	@ Connecticut		79–85	Pierson (18)	Powell (11)	Pondexter (10)	Mohegan Sun Arena 6,096	9–7
All-Star break
17	July 28	7:00pm	Washington	MSG	75–71	Pondexter (19)	Hollingsworth (7)	Pierson Pondexter (4)	Prudential Center 6,808	10–7
18	July 30	7:00pm	Phoenix	NBATV MSG+	84–91	Powell (16)	Vaughn (10)	Vaughn (4)	Prudential Center 7,214	10–8

August

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Opponent	TV	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location/Attendance	Record
19	August 2	7:30pm	@ Atlanta	FS-S	85–75	Pierson (20)	Pierson (8)	Mitchell (6)	Philips Arena 4,573	11–8
20	August 4	12:00pm	Chicago	NBATV MSG	59–49	Pondexter (15)	Powell (10)	Carson Pondexter (3)	Prudential Center 10,133	12–8
21	August 6	7:00pm	@ Washington	NBATV	81–91	Pondexter (21)	Hollingsworth (7)	Pondexter (7)	Verizon Center 10,741	12–9
22	August 9	8:00pm	Seattle	ESPN2	58–56	Pondexter (19)	Pierson (8)	Pondexter (5)	Prudential Center 6,732	13–9
23	August 12	7:00pm	@ Washington		63–64	Mitchell (18)	Hollingsworth (8)	Mitchell (6)	Verizon Center 10,092	13–10
24	August 13	7:00pm	@ Indiana	NBATV	71–82	Pondexter (30)	Pondexter (8)	Pondexter (5)	Conseco Fieldhouse 9,237	13–11
25	August 16	7:00pm	Washington		69–66	Pondexter (26)	Vaughn (7)	Powell (5)	Prudential Center 6,223	14–11
26	August 18	7:00pm	Connecticut	NBATV MSG	84–81 (OT)	Pondexter (27)	Vaughn (11)	Pondexter (4)	Prudential Center 7,245	15–11
27	August 20	10:00pm	@ Seattle		62–63	Pierson (15)	Pondexter (6)	Pondexter (6)	KeyArena 7,139	15–12
28	August 23	10:00pm	@ Phoenix	ESPN2	74–70	Pondexter (25)	Pondexter (8)	Pierson (5)	US Airways Center 8,871	16–12
29	August 28	6:00pm	@ Chicago	NBATV CN100	73–74	Pierson (19)	Vaughn (8)	Pondexter (8)	Allstate Arena 5,707	16–13
30	August 30	7:00pm	Chicago	MSG+ CN100	71–67	Pondexter (19)	Pierson (8)	Pondexter Powell (3)	Prudential Center 6,334	17–13

September

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Opponent	TV	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location/Attendance	Record
31	September 2	8:00pm	@ Minnesota		78–62	Mitchell (24)	Hollingsworth (9)	Pondexter (7)	Target Center 8,929	18–13
32	September 4	4:00pm	Minnesota		68–86	Pierson (17)	Pierson (8)	Pondexter (7)	Prudential Center 8,247	18–14
33	September 9	7:00pm	Indiana	NBATV MSG+	83–75	Carson (18)	Vaughn (9)	Vaughn (5)	Prudential Center 8,015	19–14
34	September 11	1:00pm	@ Connecticut	NBATV	63–69	Powell (14)	Pondexter Vaughn (9)	Pondexter (5)	Mohegan Sun Arena 9,115	19–15

All games are viewable on WNBA LiveAccess or ESPN3.com

Postseason

2011 Game Log: Postseason

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Opponent	TV	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location/Attendance	Series
1	September 15	8:00pm	@ Indiana	ESPN2	72–74	Pondexter (18)	Powell (8)	Pondexter (6)	Conseco Fieldhouse 7,608	0–1
2	September 17	4:00pm	Indiana	NBATV MSG	87-72	Powell (19)	Pondexter Powell Vaughn (5)	Pondexter (5)	Prudential Center 8,508	1–1
3	September 19	8:00pm	@ Indiana	ESPN2	62-72	Powell (19)	Vaughn (7)	Pondexter (5)	Conseco Fieldhouse 7,368	1–2

Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage	TO	Turnovers per game
PF	Fouls per game		Team leader		League leader

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kara Braxton	13	0	12.8	.397	.333	.400	3.0	0.8	0.38	0.46	3.9
Jessica Breland	9	0	7.7	.381	.000	1.000	1.6	0.4	0.20	0.70	2.0
Essence Carson	32	5	22.7	.437	.387	.738	2.8	1.7	1.19	0.63	11.3
Felicia Chester	4	0	6.8	.333	.000	.000	2.0	0.0	0.25	0.00	0.5
Sydney Colson	16	0	5.4	.350	.429	.833	0.4	0.6	0.25	0.13	1.4
Quanitra Hollingsworth	31	1	16.9	.524	.000	.679	4.4	0.3	0.52	0.32	4.6
Leilani Mitchell	34	30	25.4	.375	.364	.800	2.1	2.9	1.29	0.09	5.6
Alex Montgomery	30	0	9.0	.329	.444	.647	1.8	0.7	0.33	0.23	2.5
Ta'Shia Phillips	5	0	3.6	.500	.000	.500	0.6	0.2	0.00	0.00	0.6
Plenette Pierson	33	33	28.6	.478	.200	.806	5.2	1.4	1.15	0.91	12.9
Cappie Pondexter	34	34	33.9	.402	.345	.813	4.1	4.7	1.26	0.29	17.4
Nicole Powell	33	33	28.3	.410	.353	.906	4.2	2.3	1.36	0.30	9.7
Sidney Spencer	16	0	7.1	.500	.333	1.000	0.8	0.3	0.00	0.00	2.5
Kia Vaughn	34	34	28.1	.497	.000	.786	6.7	1.1	1.18	0.74	10.1

Postseason

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kara Braxton
Essence Carson
Sydney Colson
Quanitra Hollingsworth
Leilani Mitchell
Alex Montgomery
Ta'Shia Phillips
Plenette Pierson
Cappie Pondexter
Nicole Powell
Kia Vaughn

Awards and honors

Cappie Pondexter was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of June 20, 2011.
Cappie Pondexter was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of July 4, 2011.
Essence Carson was named to the 2011 WNBA All-Star Team as a reserve.
Cappie Pondexter was named to the 2011 WNBA All-Star Team as a starter.
Kia Vaughn was named the Most Improved Player.^[2]
Cappie Pondexter was named to the All-WNBA Second Team.

References

^ "Libery acquire Kara Braxton from Mercury". NJ.com. August 5, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
^ "Liberty's Kia Vaughn Receives Most Improved Award". CBS News. September 17, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2024.

External links

[1] "Libery acquire Kara Braxton from Mercury". NJ.com. August 5, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2024.

[2] "Liberty's Kia Vaughn Receives Most Improved Award". CBS News. September 17, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2024.

[1]

[2]

2011 WNBA season by team
Draft Schedule All-Star Game Playoffs Finals
Eastern	Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Indiana Fever Washington Mystics
Western	Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury San Antonio Silver Stars Seattle Storm Tulsa Shock
← 2010 WNBA season 2012 →