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New York Liberty starting to get it together

By WTOP Staff

DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — It wasn’t long ago that the New York Liberty were languishing in last place in the Eastern Conference.

Now after a successful five-game homestand that saw the team win four games, the Liberty (7-11) are in the thick of it — 1 1/2 games out of second place.

“We really dug ourselves in a hole but have been slowly climbing out of it,” guard Cappie Pondexter said. “We expect to win at home, but we really need to carry this over to the road.”

The Liberty are trying to make the playoffs after failing to qualify for the postseason last year. New York has struggled away from Madison Square Garden this season, losing seven of its eight games. The Liberty play at San Antonio on Wednesday before finishing up their pre-All Star game schedule with two more home games.

“It’s time for us to stand up on the road,” Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said. “We’ve been competitive. Now it’s time for us to win on the road. If we are going to get to the playoffs we have to get some road wins.”

It doesn’t get easy for New York in the second half of the season with eight of their 13 games after the All-Star break on the road, including a three-game Western trip to start. Still beating the defending champion Minnesota Lynx definitely gives New York some confidence. The current three-game winning streak is in no small part due to the play of center Tina Charles, acquired in a draft night deal from Connecticut.

“She’s starting to realize her responsibility on this team,” Laimbeer said. “Early in the season, as a new person coming in, all of the pressure was on her. She struggled a little bit to understand, not only her role, but also her leadership with the ball club. She’s very comfortable right now with who this team is and what her responsibilities are both on and off the court. It is showing in her quality of play.”

New York sent Kelsey Bone, this year’s first round pick and next year’s as well to Connecticut for Charles, mortgaging the future to win now. The trade is finally starting to pay dividends.

Charles followed up a 28-point effort in a win over Tulsa with a career-high 32-point game against Minnesota on Sunday.

“We’re starting to play better and I’m being more aggressive doing what my team needs,” Charles said.

Charles has been getting the Liberty going early. She had 24 points in the first half on Sunday and she also had 20 in the opening 20 minutes against Tulsa on Tuesday.

“I’ve seen her do that many times and once she gets going she’s tough to stop,” said Minnesota’s Maya Moore, who teammed with Charles to lead UConn to two national championships in college.

___

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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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