NEW YORK (AP) Tina Charles scored 23 points, including the 4,000th of her career, to help New York beat Phoenix 92-70 on Saturday night.
Charles, who also had 15 rebounds, became the sixth fastest player in WNBA history to reach that milestone and moved the Liberty closer to clinching at least the third seed in the playoffs.
New York (20-9) got off to a slow start missing its first seven shots. The Liberty led 13-12 with just over 4 minutes left in the first quarter before outscoring Phoenix 16-2 the rest of the period. Charles had nine of the team's points during that burst.
Phoenix (13-16), which lost in Connecticut on Friday night, was down 26 points in the third quarter before rallying within 11 early in the fourth quarter. The Mercury could get no closer.
