Red Claws Win OT Thriller
December 8, 2016 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
Fort Wayne, IN - December 8, 2016 - The Maine Red Claws, presented by Unum, erased a 16-point deficit in the 2nd half, to win their first overtime game of the season, taking down Fort Wayne on the road Thursday night, 124-121. Maine (8-3) hands Fort Wayne just its second loss of the season (7-2) in dramatic fashion.
Jalen Jones paced the Red Claws with 29 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Marcus Georges-Hunt added 26 points, while Coron Williams, making just his second start of the season, poured in 22 points in the win.
The Mad Ants started hot in the 1st quarter, jumping out to an early 16-9 advantage. Trey McKinney-Jones' three-pointer gave Fort Wayne the seven point lead, but Maine clawed back into the game, with Arthur Edwards providing a spark off the bench. Asauhn Dixon-Tatum slammed home a bucket to make it a four-point game, but five straight points from Alex Poythress to finish the quarter gave the Mad Ants a 34-25 lead after one.
Maine went on a 6-0 run to start the 2nd quarter, capped by Edwards' steal and slam to make it a 34-31 game. Jordan Loyd scored seven straight points for the Mad Ants, but Pendarvis Wililams and Georges-Hunt would hit back-to-back buckets to tie this game at 43. Coron Williams dropped in a three-ball to give the Red Claws their first lead at 48-45, but Fort Wayne would finish the quarter on an 18-7 run, taking a 63-55 lead into the break. Both teams shot above 50% from the floor in the first half.
Fort Wayne opened up the second half on a 10-3 run, and extended to a 76-60 lead in the blink of an eye. Jalen Jones' efforts got the game back to nine points, but Georges Niang dropped in a baseline jumper to make it 81-70 Mad Ants with 5:02 to go in the 3rd. The Red Claws did not let up, with Georges-Hunt driving to the basket for a three-point play to make it a six point game. Stephan Hicks made a put-back at the end of the period to give Fort Wayne a 95-87 lead after three.
In the 4th quarter, Jones' turnaround cut it to 104-97, and then Edwards' three ball made it just a four point game at 104-100 with 6:35 to play. Edwards again from long range cut it to 107-105. Back and forth the two teams went - Coron Williams drained a three to make it 112-109 Fort Wayne, then Jones put in a free throw to make it a two point game. Georges-Hunt tied the game at 112 with :40 to go. E .Victor Nickerson made a pair of free throws to give Fort Wayne a 114-112 lead, but then fouled Georges-Hunt, who drilled his free throws to tie it at 114. After a huge defensive stand, the Red Claws had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Coron Williams' floater didn't fall, and the game went to overtime.
In OT, Jones put in a basket to give Maine its first lead. Damion Lee and Edwards followed that up with a two and three-pointer, respectively. The 7-0 run gave the Red Claws a 121-114 lead with 1:35 to go. Travis Leslie's free throws made it 121-118 with :56 to go. Loyd had a wide open three to tie the game with :11 to go, but missed it. Fort Wayne had one last chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but missed the shot, and Maine escaped with a thrilling victory.
The Red Claws return home Saturday to take on Long Island - tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are on sale now by calling 207-210-6655 or visiting MaineRedClaws.com.
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