Maine Celtics Take Down Skyhawks
March 26, 2024 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
COLLEGE PARK, GA - In his Maine debut, Jaden Springer led five Celtics in double figures as they downed the College Park Skyhawks, 127-112, for their third-straight win and ninth in the last 10 games.
Springer scored 26 points and grabbed five rebounds in his first-ever appearance for the Maine Celtics (20-12). Joe Wieskamp shot 7-11 from the field (5-8 3P), finishing with 20 points and seven rebounds. Jordan Walsh added 19 points and nine rebounds and Neemias Queta chipped in 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks and JD Davison put up 13 points and eight assists. Drew Peterson tallied nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Miles Norris led College Park (15-17) with 21 points and seven rebounds. Rob Baker had 19 and 12 rebounds, while Tyson Etienne and Seth Lundy each turned in 17 points. Jarkel Joiner logged 15 points.
Peterson curled around a Queta screen and laid one off the glass to open the scoring. Norris got College Park on the board with a 1-for-2 just ahead of the 10-minute mark as the Skyhawks began firing away from deep early on, building an early lead with the help of a couple costly Celtics turnovers. With the Skyhawks leading 22-16 with four minutes remaining in the first, Maine closed the quarter on a 13-6 run with the help of some efficient production from Queta and Springer, who combined for 10 points. DJ Steward converted an and-one with less than three seconds to go to hand the Celtics a 29-28 lead after one.
After trailing 36-34 after a Norris three with just over 10 minutes left in the second, the Celtics scored seven unanswered points to regain the lead, 41-36. Walsh sank his first three of the night to give himself 11 points, turning around to gesture at the host of Boston players sitting courtside. Maine's run eventually ballooned to 24-5; the Celtics got whatever they wanted inside and forced the Skyhawks into bad shots and turnovers, extending the lead to 17 points late in the frame. Now in complete control after outscoring College Park 44-27 in the second, the Celtics took a 73-55 lead into the intermission.
The Celtics started the third quarter strongly as Davison knocked down a couple of threes, but he went down with an injury soon after and would not return to the game. The physicality picked up a bit from there and both coaches lost their challenge as the game turned into a back-and-forth battle, but Maine still led by 20 points. Springer's effortless paint touches and Queta's inside presence powered the Celtics to a sizeable lead, heading into the fourth quarter with a 99-82 advantage.
Wieskamp nailed a pair of triples in the opening minute of the fourth, putting Maine ahead 105-82 and forcing the Skyhawks into a timeout. Springer continued to pace the Celtics offense in the quarter, which maintained a lead of 15 points or more for the entirety of the frame. Maine closed with a small lineup with Slater at center, outpacing the Skyhawks to ward off any possible comeback. Both sides emptied the benches in the final minutes and Maine coasted to a third-straight victory.
The Celtics and Skyhawks finish off a two-game set on Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 PM, and Maine's regular season concludes with a March 30 matchup against the Texas Legends.
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