The opportunity was staring the Liberty right in the face: take care of the Washington Mystics at home and move into the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
But it looked as if the Liberty were going to let that opportunity pass them by, as they found themselves looking at a 14-point deficit early in the fourth quarter.
Undaunted, the Liberty turned to their bread and butter — stifling defense and clutch play from Cappie Pondexter.
They held the Mystics to only five points over the next eight-plus minutes and emerged with a 93-88 victory yesterday afternoon at Prudential Center in front of 8,907.
"I think we finally put forth the energy and effort that's necessary for us to win basketball games," head coach Bill Laimbeer said.
On the offensive end, the Liberty were carried by Pondexter. She scored 10 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter, including seven free throws to lead the comeback.
"Both teams knew it was a very important game, [like] a playoff game," Pondexter said.
Trailing 79-65 with 8:15 to play, the Liberty went to work.
A 12-2 run trimmed the deficit to four, but Washington's Ivory Latta answered with a 3-pointer to restore the lead to seven with 4:56 remaining.
From there, the Liberty finished their surge. Four free throws from Pondexter got the Liberty to within one, and then Kara Braxton (16 points) gave her team the lead for good with a layup with 2:42 to go. The Liberty would then make six of their final eight free throws to keep Washington at arm's length.
Despite the 11 a.m. start time for Camp Day, which had caused them problems in earlier games against Indiana and Chicago, the Liberty were sharp from the onset, taking a six-point lead behind six early points from Braxton, who went 3-for-3 from the field in the first-quarter lead. The team shot 58 percent from the floor and held Washington to just 33 percent shooting, but two 3-pointers kept the Mystics within three.
The second quarter saw the game maintain its seesaw nature, with the lead trading hands multiple times and the Mystics eventually taking a 46-45 lead to the locker room.
Alex Montgomery (a career-high 21 points) carried the Liberty during the quarter, as she scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including two 3-pointers. Pondexter scored nine points in the period, punctuated with a driving layup with 0.9 seconds left in the half.
The Liberty opened up a five-point lead in the third quarter on a Braxton basket, but the Mystics roared back, going on a 9-0 run over a 1:54 span, and prompting a Liberty timeout. Washington eventually expanded its lead to nine, as Kia Vaughn — who played her first four seasons with the Liberty — swished a jumper with 0.1 seconds left in the period to give the Mystics a 71-62 lead.
"It feels good [to win]," said Alex Montgomery, who scored a career-high 21 points. "We're in a playoff [push], so We have to keep fighting."
jdemarzo@nypost.com
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