Uncasville, Conn ? Fighting for a playoff spot, the New York Liberty weren’t about to let another close one slip away.

Crystal Robinson and Vickie Johnson combined for 32 points in the second half, and the Liberty dug out of a 17-point hole to beat the Connecticut Sun, 74-73, Tuesday night.

Robinson scored 18 in the second half including the game-winning free throw with 2.1 seconds left after a technical foul was called against the Sun for an illegal timeout.

“I said to myself, ‘This is your time to win the game right here,'” Robinson said. “Me and (Johnson) take a lot of personal responsibility for this team.”

The Liberty (13-15) have won four of their last six, but were coming off a 90-87 overtime loss to Detroit Sunday. The win Tuesday moved them within a half-game of fourth-place Connecticut for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“This team is playing hard and aggressive, unlike the beginning of the season,” Johnson said. “I feel very confident we will finish strong.”

Nykesha Sales scored 23 points in the first half on 8-of-14 shooting and finished with 31.

“We can’t find a way to finish the game. The biggest disappointment is our defense,” Sales said. “You see it slipping away, but you always think you have the advantage.”

The Liberty shot 20-for-28 in the second half and switched to a zone defense to slow the Connecticut attack.

“The zone helped us,” New York coach Richie Adubato said. “We were tired of chasing all the picks and screens. At halftime we were sluggish and Sales was on fire.”

Mystics 84, Fever 80

Indianapolis — Chamique Holdsclaw scored 19 points, and Stacey Dales-Schuman and Asjha Jones led a second-half comeback by Washington. Tamika Catchings had 20 points and 15 rebounds for Indiana, and Natalie Williams added 18 points. The loss was the sixth straight for Indiana.