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Charles helps Liberty beat Storm in OT

By WTOP Staff

STEVE HUNTER
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Tina Charles always makes sure she puts herself in the right spot for a rebound just in case teammate Cappie Pondexter misses a last-second shot.

Charles broke a tie with a putback after Pondexter missed with 23 seconds left in the New York Liberty’s 84-80 overtime victory against the Seattle Storm on Thursday night.

“I know for sure we want to get the ball to Cappie because she makes a lot of last-second shots at the buzzer, and if it comes off I’m always going to try to crash the boards.” Charles said. “I went to my hook shot, and it went in.”

Pondexter scored 20 points, and Charles added 18 points and 14 rebounds to help New York (10-13) win its third straight. The Liberty, fighting for a playoff spot, have won six of eight after a 4-11 start.

“That describes our roles,” Pondexter said about Charles’ winning shot. “I’m good at slicing to the basket and making things happen and she’s a great rebounder. It was great to see. She had my back and I’m appreciative and we got the win, so it’s all good.”

After Charles gave New York the lead, Pondexter added a basket just before the buzzer after Seattle missed two shots in the final 13 seconds and four in the final 1:20. Tanisha Wright hit a jumper to put the Storm up 80-77 with 2:50 left but they never scored again.

Pondexter hit a 16-footer with 11.9 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 75.

Camille Little scored 22 points, and Crystal Langhorne added 17 for Seattle (9-17). The Storm have lost four in a row and five of six.

Seattle guard Temeka Johnson had a triple-double with 13 points, 11 assists and a career-high 10 rebounds. She started in place of Sue Bird, sidelined by a strained neck.

Johnson became only the fifth WNBA player with a triple-double and the first for the Storm. She joins Margo Dydek, Lisa Leslie, Deanna Nolan and Sheryl Swoopes.

“I knew she really played well but I didn’t have any idea of the statistics until after the game,” Storm coach Brian Agler said about the 5-foot-3 Johnson. “It doesn’t really matter how you do that, whenever you can put those kind of numbers together it just shows that you played a very impactful game, and she really did.”

The Storm led by nine early in the second half. But Pondexter scored 13, including two 3s, in the third quarter to help rally New York to get within 63-62 at the end of the period.

New York coach Bill Laimbeer wasn’t ready to call his team’s play a turnaround yet.

“I don’t know if we want to go that far,” he said. “I think that we’re getting better. I think we are understanding who we are. We’ve got a long way to go still.”

But Laimbeer seemed pleased with a second straight road win after his club beat Los Angeles on Wednesday.

“Coming into this trip, we had six of seven games on the road, including three in the West against some quality teams,” he said. “We were scratching our heads wondering where we were going to get wins, and now we’ve gotten two out of two on the road with Phoenix next. We’ll go see what happens.”

Shekinna Stricklen scored 11, and Little added 10 to help the Storm to a 45-41 halftime lead.

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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