Flame Show Wright Stuff In 105-98 Win Over Dazzle

Published on January 13, 2006 under NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release


ESTERO, Fla. - It didn't take long for Dorell Wright to make his presence known in the NBA Development League. The 6-8, guard/forward who was assigned by the Miami HEAT to the Florida Flame on January 3, 2006 had a breakout performance on Friday night at Germain Arena, hitting for a game-high 32 points to propel the Flame to a105-98 victory over the Roanoke Dazzle.

Wright hit 15 of his 22 shots and collected nine rebounds as Florida (11-7) earned its second straight victory and sixth in eight head-to-head meetings with Roanoke (7-12) this season.

"I'm starting to feel very comfortable with my teammates and coaches; and that has made a huge difference for me," said Wright. "It felt like everything was working for me tonight; my mid-range game, getting to the basket, and just using my athleticism to my advantage."

After scoring four points in the first quarter, Wright erupted over the final three stanzas, hitting for eight points in the second period, 10 in the third, and 10 more in the fourth to help the Flame stave off any Dazzle hopes of a victory.

Roanoke made its push in the fourth quarter as the D-League's leading scorer Anthony Grundy drove the lane for a lay-in that brought the Dazzle within one, at 75-74 with 11:15 to play. But Florida slowly and steadily built back its lead. Wright connected for eight points in a 14-5 Flame run over the next 7:04 that pushed the Florida advantage to 89-79 with 4:11 left.

Grundy would not let the Dazzle go down easily. The veteran guard out of North Carolina State who went scoreless in the first half, hit four three-pointers in the final four minutes to keep Roanoke within striking distance. The Flame responded by hitting eight of 10 free throws down the stretch to earn the victory.

Florida finished with five players in double figures. Along with Wright's 32, Earl Barron posted his first double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds, Andre Barrett hit for 15 points, and Theron Smith (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Dwayne Jones (10 points, 12 rebounds) each collected double-doubles.

The Dazzle had five players in double figures. Grundy scored all of his team-high 23 points in the second half, Will Bynum tallied 21 points, Peter Ramos notched 19, Isiah Victor scored 11 points, while Seth Doliboa finished with 10 points in the loss.

The Flame and Dazzle will return to action at this weekend's MLK Showcase at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C. Florida opens up its Showcase schedule against the Fayetteville Patriots on Sunday, January 15 at 5 p.m. while the Dazzle take on the Forth Worth Flyers on Sunday at 8 p.m.

For additional information, please visit floridaflame.com or contact Florida Flame Director of Media Relations, Tim Becwar at (239) 561-8130 and tbecwar@floridaflame.com. For additional information on the NBA Development League please visit NBADLEAGUE.com.

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NBA G League Stories from January 13, 2006


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