Asheville holds on for win

Published on March 26, 2005 under NBA G League (G League)
Asheville Altitude News Release


ASHEVILLE, N.C., March 26, 2005 - After leading by as many as 15 points to start the fourth quarter, the Asheville Altitude got a couple of key plays late to knock off the Fayetteville Patriots 122-116 at the Civic Center.

Tied at 114-114 with less than two minutes left to play, Altitude guard Joe Forte knocked down a baseline jumper to give his team a two point advantage. Twenty seconds later, guard Tim Bowers extended the lead to four points with a steal and a dunk in the open court.

Asheville (26-18) went 4-of-6 from the free throw line in the last 40 seconds of the game to help hold off a late Patriots rally. With the loss, Fayetteville (9-21) is now mathematically eliminated from the National Basketball Development League playoff race.

Asheville center Tony Kitchings played a huge part in the Patriots postseason demise finishing with 24 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Altitude forward Ron Slay chipped in with a game-high 29 points.

"We really wanted to establish ourselves in the low post early and often," said Slay. "We all know how potent Fayetteville can be in the paint, but tonight, we came out and played with the aggression. And anytime Kitchings puts up 24 and 16, we're going to be hard to stop."

Asheville opened up a huge lead in the first half using pressure defense and transition offense to knock down easy baskets. But after taking a 95-78 lead headed into the fourth, Fayetteville opened with a 26-10 run to make things interesting late.

"We played great early, but let up late once we had the huge lead," said Altitude head coach Joey Meyer. "Fayetteville did a great job of getting back in the game. They went to a small lineup that changed the game around and got us away from what had been working for most of the night."

"It was just the opposite from last night," added Altitude guard Joe Forte. "We started out slow and then picked it up late. Tonight, we started out fast, and tapered off down the stretch. We need to find a happy median."

Tang Hamilton and Mike King paced Fayetteville with 23 points each. David Young added 22 points. For Asheville, Bowers finished with 21 points and five steals. Terrence Shannon added 17 points and seven rebounds.

Asheville outrebounded Fayetteville 64-40 for the game.

Both Asheville and Fayetteville next play Tuesday on the road. Asheville will be in Huntsville, while the Patriots will travel to take on the Florida Flame.

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