Flight falls to Roanoke
February 14, 2004 - NBA G League (G League)
Huntsville Flight News Release
Huntsville, Ala. (Feb. 14) â Mike King scored five of Roanoke's final seven points from the foul line as the Dazzle used 80 percent foul shooting to secure an 116-111 win over the Huntsville Flight in tonight's NBDL action.
"We have to play smarter," said Flight head coach Ralph Lewis. "We spotted the Dazzle a large margin in the first half. We played catch up for the rest of the game. All Roanoke had to do was maintain. We have to play smarter and be more aggressive if we want to win."
The Flight (13-13) used a 12-6 run to tie the game at 90 with eight minutes remaining in the fourth period. The Dazzle (15-12) answered with a 13-4 run to pull out to a 103-98 lead at the four minute mark. Marcus Fleming, Mateen Cleaves and Erick Barkley combined for 12 points over two minutes to cut the Roanoke lead to three with a minute remaining. The Flight would get no closer as its attempts at last minute fouls backfired and the Dazzle hit 7 of 10 free throw attempts.
Down 19 at the beginning of the third quarter, the Flight used a 26-12 run to pull within five with four minutes remaining. Roanoke guard Curtis Staples responded sinking back-to-back 20 foot jumpers to extend the margin back to nine points. Huntsville's Barkley sank a three-pointer to cut the lead to six. The teams traded baskets in the final seconds with Roanoke maintaining a six point margin.
Roanoke took control of the game from the 11:55 mark of the first quarter when Curtis Staples picked the ball off Flight forward Phil Ricci and dished to Marque Perry for the opening bucket. The Dazzle outscored the Flight 30-16 in the first period. Huntsville continued to struggle in the second period as the Dazzle pressed on, extending the margin to 19 points at the end of the half.
Cleaves came off the bench to lead the Flight with 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting. He was also 8-for-9 from the line with six rebounds and six assists. Ricci posted a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out with just over two minutes remaining. Barkley scored 23 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out seven assists.
Josh Asselin scored a game-high 35 points on 14-for 20 shooting, including 7-for-8 from the line. He aslo grabbed nine boards and blocked three shots. Matt Carroll came off the bench to score 21 points.
Despite tonight's loss, the Flight remains in third place in NBDL standings.
The Flight returns to action on Friday, Feb. 20 when it hosts Asheville. Roanoke travels to Fayetteville to take on the Patriots tomorrow evening.
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NBA G League Stories from February 14, 2004
- Flight falls to Roanoke - Huntsville Flight
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- Riverdragons snap Altitude win streak - Asheville Altitude
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