Game Notes, Knights vs. Surf
March 22, 2002 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Kansas City Knights News Release
THE GAME: The Knights go for consecutive victory number 18 tonight against the tough Southern California Surf, who suffered a bitter 118-112 overtime loss in Kansas City last night. The Knights increased their lead over the second-place Surf in the ABA standings by eight games. The Surf were the last team to defeat the Knights, posting a 122-120 decision on Feb. 2 in Anaheim. The Knights, however, have wiped out the Surf the last five times the clubs have met. Two of the last three games between these two fierce rivals has gone into overtime. The Knights 17 straight wins are just one shy of the Kansas City modern professional sports team record. Indoor soccer's Kansas City Attack won 18 straight games in '95-96. The Knights have been dominant at Kemper Arena, winning all 18 games played in the building so far this season.
THE LAST GAME: It was a battle from the opening tip and took five minutes longer than usual, but the Knights clawed their way to a 118-112 overtime victory over the Southern California Surf. The Knights trailed through most of the first 40 minutes of the game and were down by 18 points late in the third quarter.
This game had an easily identifiable pattern. The Surf would own the first eight minutes of a quarter and the Knights would dominate the final four. That was the way things played out during the first third quarters until Rick Hughes, who joined the Knights earlier this week, took control of the game. The former Dallas Mavericks forward scored five of the Knights final seven points of the third quarter and tallied 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. He finished the game with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Brandon Williams hit a runner and a long jumper to put the Surf ahead, 104-100, with 1:43 remaining in the game. Hughes responded for the Knights with a pair of layups, tying the game at 104 with :24.1 to play.
The Surf had a chance to win the game in regulation but Williams diving layup with four seconds left rimmed out, sending the game into overtime.
The Knights started the overtime period with a frenzy. Hughes nailed a long jumper, Carter hit a three and David Vanterpool made a layup, giving Kansas City a 111-104 lead two minutes into the extra period. The Surf then clawed back on a pair of three-pointers and a rebound-put back by Dial, giving Southern California a 112-111 lead with 1:03 left in overtime.
Rex Walters then hit three free throws, including one courtesy of a technical on the Surf bench, to put Kansas City up, 114-112 with 25.2 left. Vanterpool added two more free throws, making the count 116-112 with 23.9 remaining in the contest. The Surf missed on their end, the Knights rebounded and held on for the win. The Surf were led by Derrick Dial with 35 and Brandon Williams with 30. THE KNIGHTS: The sizzling Knights have won 17 in a row and 20 of their last 21 after starting the season with a 7-5 record. They have scored at least 110 points in 21 of their last 23 games. The Knights ABA-record winning streak has been in serious jeopardy several times lately. Twice in the past five games, Kansas City has needed overtime to win and six of the team's last eight games have been decided by eight points or less, including a pair of one-point victories.
The Knights play at Kemper has been nothing short of spectacular. Eighteen teams have come in and 18 have been dispatched with a loss. Few of the team's first 15 home games were competitive. The Knights average victory margin in their first 15 tilts at Kemper was a whopping 23.2 points. The Knights last three victories at home have been by one point, five points and six points in overtime. The Knights have been hit by the injury bug of late. Doug Smith suffered a back injury at Southern California on March 10 and will be out the remainder of the season. Derek Grimm played just 15 minutes last night because of a back injury and Rex Walters is playing with a bruised right (non-shooting) hand. Maurice Carter, who missed the Knights previous game with an ankle injury, returned to action against the Surf and scored 19 points.
This week the Knights signed free agent forward Rick Hughes, a 6-9, 235-pounder from Thomas More College. Hughes made an immediate impact in Thursday's victory over the Surf, scoring 25 points and pulling down 16 rebounds. Hughes averaged 25.8 points per game during his four years at Thomas More. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native played in 21 games for the Dallas Mavericks during the '99-00 season, averaging 3.9 point per game. In '98 he averaged 36.3 ppg for a pro team in Lebanon. He was in the Golden State Warriors training camp in '00.
After tonight, the Knights have just more home games at Kemper this season: April 3 vs. Kentucky and April 14 vs. Southern California. Details about the ABA postseason will be announced soon. THE SURF: The Surf have won just two of their last seven games and enter tonight's contest with the ABA's second-best record (17-11). The Surf have assembled one of the finest offensive teams in the league. Former New Jersey Net and San Antonio Spur guard Derrick Dial is one of the ABA's top players. Dial is the ABA's top scorer (27.3 ppg) and play-maker (6.8 apg). The Surf are also getting solid efforts from G Brandon Williams (19.7 ppg), G Fred Vinson (19.0 ppg), G/F Corey Benjamin (13.5 ppg) and F Juaquin Hawkins (12.3 ppg).
THE SERIES: The Knights own a 5-1 record against the Surf, including wins in the last five meetings. Southern California defeated the Knights on Feb. 2 (122-120) in Anaheim in the last loss Kansas City has suffered. The Knights upended the Surf, 116-104, on Feb. 27, and 118-112 (overtime) last night in the only two games played at Kemper. Here is a breakdown of the season series:
Date Score KC Leading Scorer SC Leading Scorer
2/2 @SC 122, KC 120 Vanterpool 22 Dial 36
2/6 KC 137, @SC 126 Mickeal/Vanterpool 29 Dial 43
2/27 @KC 116, SC 104 Mickeal 31 Williams 22
3/10 KC 118, @SC 113 (ot) Mickeal 27 Dial 34
3/13 KC 126, @SC 124 Carter 32 Dial/Williams 27
3/22 @KC 118, SC 112 (ot) Hughes 25 Dial 35
TONIGHT IS YOUNG COUNTRY Q104 NIGHT: The Kansas City Knights and Q104 FM are pleased to announce that one lucky fan will be selected at random to come out on the court for a chance to win $104,000! The contestant will have 24 seconds to successfully complete a series of shots, if all are made before time is up, that fan will walk away $104,000 richer!
REBOUNDING FOR HARRIS YOUTH FOUNDATION: When Kansas City Knights players pull down rebounds, the Harris Youth Foundation is a big beneficiary. So far this year over $16,000 as been raised for this worthy charity.
THE COACHES: Kevin Pritchard, who was a starting point guard on the University of Kansas' 1988 NCAA Championship team, returns for his second season as the Knights head coach and his first as the team's general manager. Last season, Pritchard's Knights overcame the loss of seven players to the NBA to finish with a 24-17 overall record, third best in the ABA. Under his direction, Kansas City was the league's second-highest scoring team with an average of 112 points per game. Because of the seven NBA defections, the Knights were forced to use 23 different players in games during the 2000-2001 campaign, yet remained one of the league's best teams.
The 34-year-old Pritchard has an outstanding basketball pedigree. During his college playing days at the University of Kansas, he was coached by both Larry Brown, now the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, and current Jayhawks head coach Roy Williams. His first head coach as an NBA player was Don Nelson, who now directs the Dallas Mavericks fortunes. He ranks seventh on KU's career scoring list with 1,692 points. He was an All-Big Eight pick as a senior and a three-time All-Big Eight Academic Team selection. Following his distinguished college career, he was chosen in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He played in 94 games during his four years in the NBA, making stops at Golden State, San Antonio, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia and Vancouver. Pritchard has a 51-22 (.699) record as the Knights head coach.
Scott Brooks enjoyed an 11-year NBA playing career with teams that included the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. He was a key member of the Rockets '94 NBA Championship squad. Last season, he served as a player/assistant coach with the ABA's Los Angeles Stars. He was a collegiate star at the University of California-Irvine. He has a 17-110 (.607) record as the Surf head coach.
NEXT GAME: After tonight's game, the Knights embark on a three-game road trip with stops in Indiana (March 26), Detroit (March 29) and Kentucky (March31). The team returns home on Wednesday, April 3 for a game against the Kentucky Pro Cats.
KNIGHTS ON RADIO: All 21 of the Knights home games can be heard live on KCXL Radio (1140 AM) and on the Internet at www.kcxl.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
American Basketball Association Stories from March 22, 2002
- Knights Beat Surf For 18th Straight Win - Kansas City Knights
- Game Notes, Knights vs. Surf - Kansas City Knights
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