New York downs Sun in playoffs opener

• NEW YORK 72, CONNECTICUT 63: Shameka Christon scored 19 points, Cathrine Kraayeveld had 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Liberty beat the Sun on Thursday night in New York in the opener of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Former Gopher Janel McCarville added 13 points for New York, which closed the regular season with three losses in four games.

Tamika Whitmore scored 16 points and Asjha Jones had 11 for Connecticut, which fell for the fourth time in five games. Whitmore had a three-point play with 6:09 left in the third, and Lindsay Whalen hit a free throw 40 seconds later to cut the deficit to 46-43. Jones and Whalen had consecutive three-point plays that cut the Sun's deficit to seven with 3:10 left in the game, but that was as close as they got.

• SAN ANTONIO 85, SACRAMENTO 78: Becky Hammon made six three-pointers and scored 30 points, lifting the Silver Stars over the Monarchs in Sacramento, Calif., in the opener of the Western Conference playoffs. After struggling early, Sophia Young got going in the second half and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Hammon, a veteran guard who was criticized for playing on the Russian team in Beijing, was the difference. She made nine of 14 shots overall and had 13 points in a flawless first half.

ASSOCIATED PRESS