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Columbus Keeps Rolling With Eleventh Straight Win

January 6, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga.— Obinna Ekezie scored a team-high 20 points, including 16 in the first half, to lead the Columbus Riverdragons to their eleventh straight victory, 94-82, over the Fayetteville Patriots on Thursday night at the Columbus Civic Center.

With the win, the Dragons ran their league-best record to 13-1 overall, their home record to 9-0 on the season, and won for the fourth time in four meetings with the Patriots. Fayetteville (3-14) missed an opportunity for its first two-game win streak of the season and fell to 0-9 on the road.

Ekezie picked up a sluggish Columbus club in the first quarter, hitting for eight points and three rebounds in just five minutes on the floor during the opening period, as the Dragons rallied back from an early deficit to grab a 23-22 lead after one quarter. Ernest Brown and Ousemane Cisse came out of the gates with impressive starts, combining for 16 points and 12 rebounds in the first stanza to keep the Patriots in it early.

Columbus took control in the second quarter, courtesy of the continued dominance of Ekezie in the low post. The 6-9, NBA veteran poured in eight more points along with four rebounds in the period, as the Dragons steadily built the lead to 13 points on three different occasions, the last coming on a Reed Rawlings lay-up with 16.9 seconds to go in the first half that gave Columbus a 49-36 advantage at halftime. Ekezie would register his 16 points, hitting seven of twelve shots in the first half, and ended the first two quarters with seven rebounds. Brown ended the half with 11 points for Fayetteville.

Two of the NBDL's young guns, Ricky Minard and David Young dueled it out in the third quarter, as Minard notched nine quarter points while being upstaged by Young's 11 quarter points. The Dragons opened the period with a 5-0 spurt capped by a Minard three-point play to push the Columbus lead to 18 points, at 54-36, with 11:18 remaining. Columbus would eventually drive the advantage to a game-high 21 points, at 70-49 with 5:10 to go on a Minard 16-footer, but Young helped the Patriots get back in it over the final five minutes of the quarter. The rookie shooting guard from North Carolina-Central had two lay-ups and a fast break dunk as the Patriots ended the period on a 13-6 run to close within 14 points, at 76-62, heading into the fourth quarter.

A Young 17-foot jumper with 8:02 left in the game capped off a 9-3 push to open the quarter for Fayetteville, bringing the Patriots within eight, at 79-71. Mike King's free throw with 2:43 remaining brought Fayetteville to within seven points, 83-76, but that's as close as the Patriots would get. Minard and Derrick Zimmerman connected for lay-ins and the Dragons hit five straight free throws down the stretch to end any hopes of a Fayetteville comeback.

The Riverdragons had a total of five players in double figures. Along with his team-high 20 points, Ekezie grabbed 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Minard finished with 15 points, Rawlings posted 13 of his own, Scott Merritt notched his third double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, respectively, and Mike Benton tallied 10 points in the win.

Brown posted a game-high 23 points for Fayetteville, Young finished with 20 points, and former Riverdragon Tang Hamilton notched 10 points in the loss.

The two teams will meet again this Saturday night, January 8, back in Fayetteville with a 7:30 p.m. EST tip-off at the Crown Coliseum. For more information, log onto nbdl.com.



NBA G League Stories from January 6, 2005


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