NEW YORK (AP) -After heading into the WNBA's monthlong Olympic break playing some of their best basketball of the season, the rested New York Liberty are looking forward to resuming the season.
``It's been refreshing,'' veteran forward Shameka Christon said. ``However, I'm ready to get back.''
The Liberty hovered around the .500 mark for much of the first half of the season before winning six of their last seven going into the hiatus.
``The break came at a really good time, because I thought we were exhausted,'' coach Pat Coyle said. ``Like most teams in the league, we had so many players come in from overseas (at the start of the season) and they were exhausted.''
The Liberty return to the court on Thursday night when they host the Chicago Sky, a team New York hasn't faced yet this season but plays three times in the last nine games.
With teams league-wide allowed two weeks off at the start of the break, players and coaches were given a chance to get away and recharge. Christon went on a cruise to the Bahamas. Coyle took a trip to the Florida keys and returned before the hurricanes hit.
Some just took time to rest.
``Got out of New York a little bit,'' point guard Loree Moore said. ``Didn't really go anywhere tropical or sunny. Just kind of kept it quiet for myself, not really tried to do too much.''
Since returning to practice on Aug. 11, the team has been focused on fine-tuning it's play for the final 18-day stretch to close the regular season.
``We just have been working on defensively keeping the ball in front of us, working on our schemes, and then offensively just tightening up some things,'' Coyle said. ``I thought we started out playing good 'D' and as the season progresses you really don't have practice time. There's been some slippage. We just want to get back to doing things the right way.''
The Liberty entered the break with a 15-10 record, tied with Detroit for second place in the Eastern Conference - one-half game behind Connecticut. It is their best showing after 25 games since they were also 15-10 in 2002. New York has been better at this point only twice, compiling a 16-9 record in both 1997 and 2001. The Liberty were 10-15 at the same point last year, and 5-20 two years ago.
``We know where we're at now,'' said Moore, averaging a career-high 5.1 assists. ``We're in a good position ending the season off, so we have to come back ready to go, and I think we're ready to do that.''
New York's success has been largely due to an emphasis on team play. Christon (16.4 points per game) and Janel McCarville (12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds) are having career-best seasons, but are the team's only double-digit scorers. Cathrine Kraayeveld is averaging 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds, and second-year reserve forward Tiffany Jackson adds 8.3 points and a team-high 5.7 boards.
The Liberty rely heavily on their reserves, usually going nine, 10 or even 11-deep. All the players have made solid contributions, including rookies Essence Carson, Erlana Larkins and Leilani Mitchell.
Despite heading into the break on a roll, the Liberty rejected any concern about the break disrupting the team's momentum.
``Watching our practices, I'm really not worried about it,'' Christon said. ``Things have started to pick back up and we're starting to get back on track.''
Coyle also downplayed thoughts of the team losing its edge because of the hiatus in play.
``We're going to focus on one game at a time, and just try and get better each day,'' she said, echoing the team's mantra. ``Not so much as looking at us getting back on a roll, (but) just playing good, solid basketball. We're going to worry about ourselves, take care of the little things.''
