Liberty snaps 5-game skid

Vickie Johnson netted 16 in a 60-48 win over Cleveland.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Liberty can resume their playoff quest now that they've put their franchise-high five-game losing streak behind them.
Vickie Johnson scored 16 points to lead the Liberty to a 60-48 win over the Cleveland Rockers on Sunday.
"After losing five in a row, every game is a must-win," center Tari Phillips said. "We must win just to feel better. And this feels better, I'll tell you that."
New York is fighting for the fourth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Liberty (10-13) are in sixth place, 21/2 games behind Charlotte and Connecticut, two behind Indiana and a half-game behind Cleveland.
"It's still very close -- no one can afford to go into a drought right now," New York coach Richie Adubato said.
Phillips had 12 points and 11 rebounds to notch her eighth double-double for the Liberty, who shot 46 percent from the field and were never threatened by Cleveland's ineffective offense.
Big win
"I would say it's a big win -- it's a win, and we haven't had one of those in a while," Phillips said.
Chasity Melvin scored 18 points and LaToya Thomas added 14 for Cleveland (12-14), which shot 33 percent from the field and hit only one of its 13 3-point attempts.
Reserves Linda Frohlich and Elena Baranova made layups and Johnson sank a 3-pointer with Deanna Jackson in her face to push New York's lead to 46-29 with 7:55 remaining in the game.
The Liberty limited the Rockers to only three baskets in the first 12 minutes of the second half.
"They are much better when they can play off of their defense," Cleveland coach Dan Hughes said. "We didn't do a very good job of pressuring the ball. They made it tough on us, but we missed some opportunities, too."