Harrington Leads Riverdragons to Victory Over Lowgators

Published on January 16, 2004 under NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


Adam Harrington propelled the last place Riverdragons to a 94-86 win over the league-leading Charleston Lowgators, posting 29 points in his debut on Friday night at the Columbus Civic Center. The win snapped a four-game losing streak versus Charleston in 2003-04 for Columbus, while the Lowgators had their five-game win streak halted. Tierre Brown notched 28 points in a losing effort for the Charleston, while Chuck Eidson contributed 21.

Eidson led the Lowgators in the first quarter, posting 11 of the team's 25 points on 4-5 shooting from the field. The Riverdragons jumped out to a 6-2 lead early, until the Lowgators launched a 21-6 run, during which Eidson contributed 8 points. Down 23-12 with 2:56 remaining in the quarter following a Jarrod Gee layup, the Riverdragons responded with an 8-2 run to finish out the quarter. Marc Mazur and Harrington led the way as Mazur put in two lay-ups and Harrington added a trey and a technical free throw from a defensive three-second violation by Hiram Fuller, to bring the Dragons within five after one period, 25-20.

A balanced offense helped Columbus stay within reach of Charleston during the second quarter as nine Dragons placed in the scoring column. Trailing 27-22 with 10:42 to go in the first half, Columbus responded with a 6-0 spurt following a Terence Morris jam, Jeff Myers lay-up, and two Erron Maxey free throws to grab the lead at 28-27 with 8:57 remaining. After both teams traded the lead over the next 3:19, the Lowgators reeled off an 10-2 run, keyed by two Brown jumpers, giving Charleston a 45-38 advantage with 2:57 left. But, again the Dragons answered as Tai Crutchfield tallied six points in a 9-5 spurt to cut the Gators lead to three at the half, 50-47.

Poor shooting mired the Lowgators in the third quarter and opened the door for Columbus, as the Charleston offense went dry with the Gators sinking only 4-for-18 shots for 18 points. Even so, the Lowgators opened up eight point leads at the 7:41 and 4:04 marks, the latter a 64-56 advantage. That's where the Riverdragons keyed their decisive run bridging the third and fourth quarters. Harrington caught fire scoring five straight points on a three-pointer followed by a driving lay-up with 2:05 left to make it a one point game at 64-63. A Jason Miskiri lay-up and free throws from Alpha Bangura and Carl English kept the Gators in front, 68-67 going to the fourth.

Columbus would not be denied the victory in the final quarter. Behind Adam Harrington's 16 points, the Dragons outscored the Lowgators 27-18, with the big run being a 13-3 spurt over the first 4:03 of the period, as Columbus took its biggest lead at 80-71 with 7:57 remaining. Harrington and Myers combined for eight points in the run. The Lowgators following a Bangura free throw, got to within five at 80-75, but Harrington squashed all thoughts of a comeback, hitting back-to-back threes to up the Columbus lead to nine once again at 86-77 with 4:57 to go.

With the loss, the Lowgators drop to a 13-6 record, while the Riverdragons improve their record to 5-14 overall. The Riverdragons return to action Monday, January 19 taking on the Fayetteville Patriots at the Columbus Civic Center at 2 p.m.. Charleston returns to the floor Wednesday, January 21 hosting the Huntsville Flight at the North Charleston Coliseum at 7 p.m.

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NBA G League Stories from January 16, 2004


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