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G League Cleveland Charge

Late Rally Pushes Canton to Sixth-Straight Win

January 10, 2013 - NBA G League (G League)
Cleveland Charge News Release


The Canton Charge used a strong fourth quarter finish to defeat the Santa Cruz Warriors, 104-93, to round out their participation in the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase. The victory was the Charge's sixth in a row and improved their record to 12-8, while the Warriors dropped to 9-6. Canton went 2-0 for the Showcase and took the only matchup of the season between the two teams.

Both teams traded buckets throughout the early part of the opening period, with five lead changes and two ties as both offenses were firing. Santa Cruz used an 8-0 run to take control of the quarter, up by as much as 10 at one point, ultimately leading 30-22 after one. Canton battled back in the second to tie the game at 39-39 on a 15-5 run midway through the quarter, but the Warriors made a late push before the half, with eight out of their final 13 points coming from Taylor Griffin, as Santa Cruz led 54-48 at the intermission. Griffin led all scorers at the half with 18 points.

The third quarter played out evenly, as each squad scored 21 points and Santa Cruz maintained a lead for the entire duration of the period. Canton made their move early in the fourth with a 13-2 run in a span of 3:09 to take a 82-79 lead, their first since 6:07 left in the first quarter. The Charge used that momentum to finish the game strong, never relinquishing their advantage and ultimately outscoring the Warriors 35-18 in the final quarter. Canton was 10-of-15 for 67% from the field in the fourth and hit 14-of-16 foul shots. They are now 5-1 this season when trailing at halftime.

Seven Charge players scored in double figures, the most this season, led by Kyle Gibson's third-straight 20+ point game. He finished with 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 9-of-10 from the free throw line, three rebounds and one steal in 37 minutes. Alex Ruoff added 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, four rebounds, four assists and one steal in 29 minutes off the bench. Micheal Eric notched his fourth double-double of the year with 13 points, 10 rebounds and one block in 29 minutes. JaJuan Johnson had 10 points, six rebounds, three steals and three blocks in relief off the bench.

Griffin finished with 23 points, six rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes for Santa Cruz. Stefhon Hannah had 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting with three assists, three steals and seven turnovers in 37 minutes. Mickell Gladness made his presence felt in the middle with six points, seven rebounds and five blocks in 23 minutes. Chris Johnson came off the bench to add 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 29 minutes. Canton outrebounded Santa Cruz 46-32 in the game.

The Charge return home to the Civic Center for their next game on Saturday, January 12th at 7:30 p.m. against the Iowa Energy for Faith & Family Night. Tickets start as low as $7 with $1 hot dogs presented by Sugardale, postgame autographs presented by FirstEnergy Solutions and a postgame concert featuring Christian rock band, Shine Bright Baby. For more info and to purchase tickets, fans can head to www.CantonCharge.com.

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