Mill Rats Fall Short in London
February 16, 2012 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
Saint John Riptide News Release
(London, ON): The Saint John Mill Rats hung right with the #1 team in the NBL Canada, but fell behind late, and rallied by came up short, 93-89 against the London Lightning.
Saint John began the game off strong with a three pointer from Stanley Ocitti, and with good defense, mounted a 12-5 first quarter lead. London rattled off a 16 to 2 run to lead 20-14 at the end of one quarter of action.
The Mill Rat played a brilliant second quarter and rallied to take a 43-42 halftime lead on Kevin Francis' emphatic two handed slam.
The third quarter was nip and tuck and Anthony Anderson's driving layup cut the London lead to just 71-70 to end the stanza.
The Mill Rats lead 76-73 on Isaac Kuon's three point shot with 9 minutes left on the game. London began to take control after, pushing out to an 11-0 run to gain an 84-76 lead with 5:48 remaining. The lead grew to 91-78 with under 3 minutes remaining before Saint John began a familiar late-game rally.
After London missed free throws on three consecutive possessions, Saint John managed to get within 92-89 with 39 seconds left. After a stop, Darren Duncan drew a foul going to the basket. He missed both free throws - the second being swatted off the rim by London's Gabe Freeman. However London missed two more free throws and Saint John had a chance to tie, but Stanley Ocitti's three pointer rimmed out with 2.3 seconds left. A single free throw by the Lightning provided the final margin.
Top scorers for the Mill Rats were Anthony Anderson with 20, Darren Duncan 16, Stanley Ocitti 13, Kevin Francis 12, and Antonio Burks 10. Gabe Freeman led London with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
London outrebounded Saint John 55 to 34.
With their third straight loss, Saint John drops to 14-17 on the season and now comes face to face with their playoff aspirations in an important week upcoming. With the upstart Oshawa Power now breathing down Saint John's neck, the Mill Rats return home for four out of the remaining five games.
The next game is Monday at 7:00pm at Harbour Station against the Halifax Rainmen. The Mill Rats will be playing for their playoff lives in each of the remaining games and need the fans to come out and show their support for the home team!
National Basketball League of Canada Stories from February 16, 2012
- Mill Rats Fall Short in London - Saint John Riptide
- What's in Store, When 1 Meets 4 - London Lightning
- Storm Returns to Winning Ways Over Miracles - Summerside Storm
- Miracles Lose a Hard One to the Storm - Moncton Miracles
- Rainmen Release Dorsey - Halifax Rainmen
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