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Flight Stuff Riverdragons With Fast Start

November 27, 2002 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga., Nov. 27 – Point guard Mike Wilks scored 14 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists pacing the Huntsville Flight past the Columbus Riverdragons, 92-89, at the Columbus Civic Center Wednesday night.

The Flight (4-1) took off to a 15-point lead, 23-8, with 2:27 to play in the first quarter following Wilks only 3-pointer of the evening. Brandon Williams led the Flight's early charge, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the quarter.

Huntsville forward Bacari Hendrix scored a team-high 22 points, posting 16 points in the first half alone. Hendrix controlled the paint, hitting 9-of-14 shots from the field and hit both of his free throws. Lonnie Harrell and Eric Chenowith joined five Flight players in double-figures scoring 12 and 11 respectively.

The Riverdragons (3-3), who trailed by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, rallied to take a one-point lead, 65-64, on a lay-up by Nate Johnson with 40.4 seconds to play in the quarter. Johnson's bucket capped an 18-6 run in the Riverdragons favor.

The Flight responded, taking back the lead for good, 71-69, on LaVall Jordan's jumper early (8:31) in the fourth quarter. Micheal Wilks hit two free throws with less than a second remaining in regulation to hand the Riverdragons their second consecutive home loss. The Riverdragons have dropped three of their last four games – the three losses coming by a total of six points..

"We're not getting 40 good minutes," said Riverdragons head coach Jeff Malone. "We're playing just well enough to get a loss. I can't put myself on the floor in the fourth quarter. We've got to get our "bigs" together. We're just not a smart basketball team right now. You've got to have a basketball IQ. We'll watch the tape, and we'll get better. I like that team, but we can beat that team."

The loss overshadowed the performance of Riverdragons point guard Jeremy Veal, who dished a team-record and NBDL season-high 13 assists on his way to posting a double-double coupled with 14 points. Veal distributed seven assists in the second quarter alone.

The Riverdragons were once again led in scoring by the league's leading scorer Nate Johnson, who posted his fifth 20-plus point performance in six games with a game-high 23 points.

The Riverdragons and Flight meet up again this Saturday in Huntsville. The game will be covered by ESPN2 and broadcast on tape-delay Wednesday, December 4 at 4 p.m. The Riverdragons return home Tuesday, December 3 to face N. Charleston.



NBA G League Stories from November 27, 2002


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