Knights Beat Surf For 18th Straight Win
Published on March 22, 2002 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
Kansas City Knights News Release
Win Ties Record For Most Consecutive Wins By a Kansas City Sports Team
(Kansas City, MO â March 22, 2002) â This figured to be the one the Kansas City Knights might lose. The Knights needed overtime to beat the Southern California Surf the night before and dressed just eight players because of injuries. None of that mattered as the Knights built a big early lead and sailed to a 136-109 victory over the Surf.
The victory was the Knights 18th in a row, tying the record for the most consecutive wins by a Kansas City professional sports franchise. Indoor soccer's Kansas City Attack also had an 18-game run in '94-95. The Knights also kept their home record a spotless 19-0.
The Knights are now 28-5 and upped their lead over the 17-12 Surf in the ABA standing to nine full games. The Knights have now defeated the Surf five straight times.
The Knights played without Doug Smith (back), Derek Grimm (back) and Rex Walters (hand) and used just seven players until the outcome of the game had already been decided.
"I'm really proud of our guys," said Knights head coach Kevin Pritchard. "Winning 18 in a row and tying the record is really a testament to how hard these guys have worked. We were a little short-handed tonight and playing a very good team. Our guys really responded. It was a very gutsy effort."
Maurice Carter paced the Knights attack with 36 points and eight assists. Carter made nine of 16 from the field, including three of seven from long distance, and canned 15 of 16 free throw tries. Rick Hughes contributed 24 points and nine boards and David Vanterpool had 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and six steals. Ryan Sears finished with a career-high 16 points in an expanded role. Derrick Dial, the ABA's leading scorer, led the Surf with 33 points and 10 caroms.
At the outset it appeared the Knights might open this game as leisurely as they did the night before, allowing the Surf to grab a quick 13-8 lead. Ryan Sears caught fire for the Knights at the end of the first quarter, knocking down a pair of shots from three-point land. Sears finished the quarter with nine points as the Knights build a 29-21 leads.
Two three-pointers from Southern California forward Juaquin Hawkins cut the Knights lead to four points 2:30 into the second quarter. Kansas City then put together a monster 15-0 run thanks in large part to eight points from Pete Mickeal. At the end of that run, Mickeal was fouled on a layup and Surf guard Fred Vinson erupted, drawing two technical fouls and an automatic ejection. Carter hit all four technical foul shots and the Knights lead 45-27 with seven minutes to go in the first half. The Surf made some headway late in the second quarter, but the Knights were still able to take a 62-46 advantage into the intermission.
Southern California was unable to get closer than 13 points in the third quarter as Vanterpool, Hughes and Carter ran the Knights offense to near perfection. The trio combined for 34 of the Knights 42 points in the quarter as the Knights took a 104-82 lead into the final 12 minutes of play. The Knights were able to maintain a 20-point cushion throughout the rest of the game.
The Knights play their next three games on the road before returning to Kemper on April 3 for a game against the Kentucky Pro Cats.
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
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
