Dazzle break away into first with comeback win
February 21, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Roanoke Dazzle News Release
ROANOKE, Va. â The Roanoke Dazzle gained sole possession of first place Monday night with a come back from behind win against the visiting Asheville Altitude, 104-100. Cory Alexander's six-foot leaner put the Dazzle (21-10) up 101-100 with six seconds left in the contest, when a steal by Matt Carroll then led to three straight free throws by Carroll and Alexander to finalize the score. With both veteran Dazzle stars scoring 24 points each, the win also marked the spoiling of former teammate slam dunk specialist Terrence Shannon's return to Roanoke.
"We got some stops (late)," said Dazzle Head Coach Kent Davison, "and Cory made some big time plays down the stretch."
It was a back-and-forth game that seemed to be Asheville's for the taking with an 11 point lead with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter. Two free throws from Matt Carroll were all the Dazzle needed to get their engines running at full speed. Roanoke then went on a 17-2 run to end the contest, crushing Asheville's hopes of inching closer to the top spot in the standings. A seven-second backcourt violation called against the Altitude (19-13) with 35 seconds left seemed to seal the deal, setting up Alexander's 17-foot jump shot that gave Roanoke the lead for the first time in nine and a half minutes.
"We've been winning close games," said Altitude Head Coach Joey Meyer. "We just made a lot of mistakes in the last minute of the game. We turned the ball over too much the whole game."
The Dazzle capitalized on the new NBDL three-point rule, rallying behind Sung-Yoon Bang's remarkable 3-for-4 performance behind the three-point line. Carroll also added a huge three with 1:56 left in the game. "The way we are capable of shooting," said Davison. "We are never out of it. We got under the three minute mark, then Matt hit one, then Bang hit one."
Alexander was one assist shy of a double-double with nine, while scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter alone. Sung-Yoon Bang joined the scoring tandem of Carroll and Alexander with 18 of his own, while Isiah Victor added 12. Big man Kevin Owens racked up a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Altitude had five players in double-digit scoring, led by Joe Forte and Lenny Stokes with 19 points a piece. Terrence Shannon helped out with 18, while Ron Slay and Tim Bowers both contributed with 10.
Roanoke faces second-place Columbus Wednesday, February 23 the Roanoke Civic Center at 7:00 p.m. For more information log on to www.nbdl.com or visit www.roanokedazzle.com.
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NBA G League Stories from February 21, 2005
- Dazzle break away into first with comeback win - Roanoke Dazzle
- Adam Harrington Returns To Columbus Riverdragons - Columbus Riverdragons
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