Red Claws Fall Despite 2nd Half Charge
January 25, 2017 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
Canton, OH - January 25, 2017 - The Maine Red Claws, presented by Unum, almost erased a 19-point deficit but eventually fell to the Canton Charge Wednesday, 106-98. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for Maine (18-10).
Abdel Nader led Maine with 31 points on 10-16 shooting, along with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Jalen Jones added 21 points and 10 boards in his 13th double-double of the season. Coron Williams added 14 points, while Marcus Georges-Hunt, Dallas Lauderdale and Asauhn Dixon-Tatum scored 10 points each in the loss.
Nader got off to a hot start, dropping in a three and scoring five quick points. Jones went down hard on a dunk attempt, and had to leave the game, with Canton (15-11) leading 10-9 in the early going. Maine then went on an 8-2 run, with Nader scoring five more and Coron Williams dropping in a long three. Jones returned to the game, and he and Nader kept Maine in the game, evening the score at 25-all with 1:50 to go in the 1st quarter. Nader dropped in a driving lay-up for his 16th points of the quarter, and Maine and Canton finished the first period tied at 29.
The Charge opened the 2nd quarter on a 9-3 run, taking a 38-32 lead. Canton extended to a double-digit lead as Mike Williams started to heat up from the outside. The Charge went on a 10-0 run, going up 57-41 with 2:34 to go. Nader finished with 20 points in the first half, but Maine shot just 3-15 from downtown, and were out-scored 30-16 in the 2nd quarter. Evans and Eric Moreland (5-5 in first half) continued to dominate, and Canton led 59-45 at the break.
Canton started the 3rd with five quick points. Marcus Georges-Hunt dropped in his first bucket of the game with about 9:00 to go, but the Charge lead surged to 73-54. The Red Claws went on a 5-0 run to try to get back in the game, with Georges-Hunt and Jones leading the way. Nader and the Claws followed that up with a 7-0 run to cut it to nine at 77-68. When the dust settled on the 3rd quarter, the Canton lead was 84-72. Maine out-scored Canton 27-25 in the quarter.
Quinn Cook put the Charge up by 13 with a high floater off the glass. Dallas Lauderdale answered with a dunk, then Jones made back-to-back buckets to get Maine to within six - Canton's lead was 89-83 with 6:26 to go. Coron Williams' three cut it to five with 4:20 to go. A costly turnover by Nader led to a John Holland slam, which made it 97-88 Charge. Williams cut it to 100-95 with another three at the 1:12 mark, but Eric Moreland's big bucket in the final minute put it away for good.
Maine out-scored Canton 53-47 in the second half. The Red Claws shot 44% (34-78) from the field, but just 26% (7-27) from three-point range, and 23-29 from the free throw line. Canton shot 43% (41-95) from the floor, 38% (9-24) from downtown, and 15-21 from the charity stripe.
The Red Claws return home for a pair of games against Greensboro this Friday and Saturday at the Portland Expo. Tickets are on sale by calling 207-210-6655 or visiting MaineRedClaws.com.
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