NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Spectacular second half, Kurtz lead Altitude to victory

January 23, 2004 - NBA G League (G League)
Asheville Altitude News Release


If basketball games ended after the first quarter, the Fayetteville Patriots would have been OK on Friday night. Unfortunately, the game went three more quarters and the Asheville Altitude outplayed the Patriots in all three in route to a convincing 111-84 win.

Brandon Kurtz led six Asheville players in double figures with 22 points and seven rebounds. Altitude point guards Brandin Knight and Kareem Reid had nine and eight assists respectively.

"I told the guys we had to pick it up after the way we played in that first quarter,’’ Asheville coach Joey Meyer said. "We picked it up on the defensive end, which is what I think made a world of difference tonight."

Fayetteville shot 52 percent in the first quarter and led 31-21. The Altitude shot just 39 percent in the first quarter, but shot 56 percent the rest of the way. After still trailing by 10 with 5:24 remaining in the first half, Rusty LaRue hit two 3-pointers as a part of a 12-0 Asheville run that gave the Altitude the lead.

Despite the rally, the Altitude still trailed by two, 50-48, at the half.

"We could feel the momentum switching when we went into the locker room," Kurtz said. "We were being more aggressive than they were. I think they kind of relaxed after the start they had."

The Patriots relaxation apparently never ended. Up 70-66 with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter, Asheville closed the quarter out by outscoring Fayetteville 10-3. Kurtz then took over the start of the fourth quarter by scoring the Altitude’s first 16 points of the quarter as Asheville opened up a comfortable 96-77 with 5:31 to play.

"We’ve got some pretty good big men on this team,’’ Meyer said. "Brandon really came in and gave us a spark tonight and I think Kris was almost perfect shooting the ball. When those two big men get to playing up to their capabilities, they’re hard to stop."

Lang, who is shooting an amazing 83 percent from the floor against the Patriots this season, finished with 14 points, while NBDL-leading scorer Desmond Penigar had 15 points and seven rebounds. Asheville (7-11) shot 61 percent in the second half to improve to 3-1 against Fayetteville this season.

Britton Johnsen’s 18 points led the Patriots, who fell to 11-11. Darrell Johns added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Patriots.

"We’ve got to play better than this,’’ Patriots coach Jeff Capel said. "We had a good road trip and then we return home and play like this. It’s unacceptable."

The Patriots will try to rebound tonight at home against the Huntsville Flight. Game time is 7:30 p.m. The Altitude returns to action Friday at home against the Roanoke Dazzle. Game time is 7:15 p.m.

• Discuss this story on the NBA G League message board...

NBA G League Stories from January 23, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Asheville Altitude Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central