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Ramos, Grundy Lead Dazzle In Comeback Win Over Flame, 105-103

March 24, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release


ESTERO, Fla. - Losing Will Bynum to a GATORADE Call-Up hasn't been so bad after all for the Roanoke Dazzle. Led by the scoring of Anthony Grundy and the strong inside play of Peter Ramos down the stretch, Roanoke earned its fourth straight win in a 105-103 victory over the Florida Flame on Friday night at Germain Arena.

The win vaulted the Dazzle (23-20) into sole possession of second place in the NBA Development League standings, just 3.5 games behind first place and idle Fort Worth (26-16). The loss drops Florida (21-20) out of a tie for second and into a tie for sixth place in the D-League standings with Albuquerque (21-20) with seven games remaining.

Roanoke trailed 82-76 entering the fourth quarter, but outscored the Flame 29-21 in the final stanza to earn the win. Grundy finished with a team-high 23 points while Ramos posted his ninth double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Ramos would score five of the Dazzle's final seven points to help seal the victory.

Florida was led by Bracey Wright, who returned from a foot injury that forced him to miss eight games. The rookie on assignment from the Minnesota Timberwolves tallied a game-high 26 points, including three three-pointers.

"This is a very tough loss to take because we played so well for stretches in the second half," said Flame Head Coach Jeff Malone. "But our big men didn't play smart down the stretch and we stood around on offense while Bracey tried to carry us. Our inside players have to become more involved down the stretch if we want to win a game."

Trailing 103-100 with 47.3 seconds remaining after two Florida free throws from Wright, Roanoke turned to Ramos inside. The Puerto Rico native on assignment from the Washington Wizards connected for a lay-in and was fouled by Flame newcomer Jeremy McNeil with 37.3 seconds left to cut the deficit for the Dazzle to one point. His free throw tied the game at 103 apiece.

On the ensuing Florida possession, Victor forced Wright into a turnover in front of the Flame bench with 14.7 seconds left and Roanoke would capitalize. Victor came up big again as the veteran forward out of Tennesee was fouled by Duane Erwin with 3.1 seconds to go and hit two free throws to give the Dazzle a 105-103 advantage. Florida would have one final shot, but Wright's running, three-point attempt from the top was no good as time expired.

Five players scored in double figures for the Dazzle. Along with Grundy's 23 points and 22 points from Ramos, Victor posted 17, Bryant Matthews notched 18, and Kevin Owens chipped in with 16 points off the bench in the victory.

Five players scored in double figures for the Flame. Along with Wright's 26 points, Austin Nichols tallied 18 points, George Leach hit for 16, Lenny Stokes registered a double-double with 14 points and a team-record 17 assists, while Reed Rawlings hit for 10 points in the loss.

The Flame and Dazzle round out their two-game set tomorrow night, Saturday, March 25 with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Germain Arena.

For additional information, please visit floridaflame.com or contact Florida Flame Director of Media Relations, Tim Becwar at (239) 561-8130 and tbecwar@floridaflame.com. For additional information on the NBA Development League please visit NBADLEAGUE.com.

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