Chapter 73:

Bette is enjoying being in the big city.  She especially loves to go to art galleries and restaurants in Soho and Chinatown.  Being the research queen, she read all about the subway system and has become somewhat familiar with underground travel in this dynamic city.  Bette did not expect to love the culture in New York this much.  Bette has a 1 year contract with The Liberty and she expects to be picked up for a multi year deal if she plays well this season. She can actually she herself living here but she still would prefer playing on the west coast to be closer to her love.  Being a professional basketball player means she will play hard regardless of the team jersey she has on.

Tonight is the first regular season game against the Connecticut Sun and she is happy and feeling good. They have played 3 preseason games already and Bette did well in all of them.  Her minutes were limited because the coach wanted to see how different player combinations worked together on the floor.  While Bette is used to bringing the ball up and creating her own shot, they Liberty has a true point guard who is able to do that for the team. 

The first thing Bette notices is how electric the arena feels when the team is announced.  Seeing her name in lights on the jumbotron high above the rafters is amazing.

later…..

Bette has played all but 4 minutes in this very close game.  The score is 63 to 61 with NY in the lead. There is 2:54 left in the 4th quarter.  Bette is having a monster game.  She is shooting the lights out with 24 points.  She has made 9 out 14 field goals and she has made all 6 of her free throws.  She has continued her dominance on the boards and has 11 rebounds.

The point guard takes the ball out and passes to the center who breaks the press by passing to a sprinting Bette.  She catches the ball and continues to make her way to the basket.  She goes up for the lay up with her right hand and switches to her left in mid air to avoid the defender.  The shot is good and the crowd goes wild.  The coach for the Sun calls timeout once they inbound the ball.