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Dragons Shut Down Patriots in 93-77 Victory

November 22, 2004 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga.— Ricky Minard tallied 23 points, including 10 in the first quarter, as the Columbus Riverdragons used a third quarter spurt to down the Fayetteville Patriots, 93-77, Monday night at the Columbus Civic Center. With the victory, Columbus (2-0) pulled into a first-place tie with Asheville in the NBDL standings, while Fayetteville fell to 0-3 on the season.

Utilizing a balanced scoring attack, the Dragons pulled away from Fayetteville in the third quarter, outscoring the Patriots 31-19. Seven players contributed to the scoring column in the third period as Columbus shot 13-23 from the floor and outrebounded the Patriots 18-11 in the stanza to pull away for the win.

Four players scored in double figures for the Dragons. Along with Minard's game-high 23 points, Adam Harrington contributed another 13 points from the shooting guard spot, while Reed Rawlings and Mike Benton notched ten points apiece.

Fayetteville was hampered all night by poor shooting. The Patriots hit just five of 24 shots in the first quarter, while Columbus hit 11 of 22 overall to take a 22-12 lead after one quarter. Minard hit 5-7 shots in the opening period to pace Columbus.

The Patriots made their only run of the evening in the second quarter. Down 32-21 after a Benton lay-up with 8:25 to go in the half, Fayetteville answered with a 15-9 scoring advantage over the final 7:57 of the period to creep within five at the halftime break, 41-36. Omar Cook capped off the late run with a buzzer-beating lay-in following a Patriots steal at mid-court which sent the visitors on a high not to the halftime locker room.

But Columbus restored control in the third, opening the second half with an 18-5 run to claim a 59-41 lead with 6:05 to go on a Minard lay-up. After building their lead to 18 twice more in the period, the Dragons went to the fourth quarter with a 72-55 lead. Fayetteville would not mount a serious challenge in the fourth quarter, as the Dragons handed the Patriots their third consecutive loss to open up the regular season.

Fayetteville played the contest without its head coach Mike Brown and starting center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, who missed the contest with a broken finger suffered against Asheville on Saturday. Four players tallied double figures for the Patriots, led by 12 points apiece from Cook, David Young, and reserve Chris Brooks. Jon Smith added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Cook distributed eight assists in the loss.

Derrick Zimmerman notched nine assists and five points, while Jason Lawson responded from a tough outing on Saturday to garner nine points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots for Columbus.

The Riverdragons return to action Saturday, November 27 on the road at the Von Braun Center against the Huntsville Flight at 6:00 p.m. EST and 5:00 p.m. CST . The Patriots return home to the Crown Coliseum on Friday against the Roanoke Dazzle. For more information, log onto nbdl.com.

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