Tina Charles’ record night lifts Atlanta Dream into postseason with win over Liberty

By DOUG FEINBERG

Tina Charles had a grounds nighttime to assistance the Atlanta Dream into the WNBA playoffs with a 78-67 triumph implicit the New York Liberty connected Thursday.

Charles finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, breaking the league records for some vocation rebounds and double-doubles. Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon each scored 13 points to pb the Dream.

Atlanta came into the crippled knowing it could clinch a playoff berth triumph a triumph portion the Liberty (32-8) had thing truly to play for having already sewn up the No. 1 seed. The 2 teams volition conscionable again Sunday successful the archetypal circular of the postseason successful New York.

The Dream (15-25) came retired beardown down Charles, who broke Sylvia Fowles’ rebound people of 4,006 boards a fewer minutes into the game. She needed 3 coming into the crippled to interruption the grounds and is present up to 4,014 for her career.

Atlanta was up six aft 1 4th and extended the vantage to 43-30 astatine the half.

In the 3rd quarter, Charles broke different 1 of Fowles’ league records by getting her 194th vocation double-double. New York ne'er truly threatened arsenic manager Sandy Brondello sat Breanna Stewart for the last 20 minutes to fto her rest. She had 16 points successful the archetypal fractional to pb the Liberty.

New York trailed by 19 aboriginal successful the 4th fourth earlier cutting the shortage to 75-67, but could get nary closer.

A New York native, Charles was honored earlier the crippled arsenic she was inducted into the city’s Basketball Hall of Fame on with 9 different erstwhile players and coaches. Her Dream teammates were connected the tribunal cheering her connected arsenic she was announced.

Charles is the lone WNBA subordinate with 7,000 points and 4,000 rebounds successful her career. She’s 2nd connected the vocation scoring database down lone Diana Taurasi.