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Minard's 28 Points Lead Dragons To 94-87 Win Over Flight

November 21, 2004 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga.— Ricky Minard tallied 28 points, including 13 in the final quarter, as the Columbus Riverdragons used a fourth quarter rally to down the Huntsville Flight, 94-87, Saturday night at the Columbus Civic Center.

Trailing 70-68 at the end of three periods, Columbus outscored Huntsville 26-17 in the fourth to win the season opener for both teams. The Dragons (1-0) won the game at the foul line, as Columbus attempted 56 free throws in the contest, connecting on 43 attempts. The Riverdragons hit 17 of 18 foul shouts in the fourth quarter to pull away for the victory. Huntsville (0-1) committed 37 fouls to only 11 for Columbus.

A back-and-forth game through the first half, neither club led by more than six points during the first two quarters. Joe Shipp scored eight first-period points for the Flight while Minard notched five. The Riverdragons took a 22-21 lead heading into the second quarter when Mike Benton took an Adam Harrington pass for a two-hand jam just prior to the first quarter horn.

Huntsville opened the second period on a 10-3 run led by six points off the bench from Austin Nichols to take a 31-25 advantage with 7:53 remaining in the half. But Reed Rawlings and Minard sparked Columbus to an 18-10 spurt, giving Columbus a 43-41 lead at the break.

Mengke Bateer and Antoine Pettway led the charge for the Flight in the third quarter combining for 14 points as Huntsville fought back from a 51-45 deficit with 9:43 left in the period. The Flight outscored Columbus 25-17 in the final 9:26 to take a two-point lead, 70-68, heading into the fourth quarter.

Minard would be the difference for Columbus in the final period, as the rookie from Morehead State posted 13 points with a pair of field goals and an 8-8 performance from the foul line. Tied at 74-74 with 7:56 remaining, Columbus finished the game on a 20-13 run to gain the victory.

The Dragons registered four players in double figures. Scott Merritt scored 14 points along with eight rebounds, while Adam Harrington posted 13 points off the bench, and Reed Rawlings added 11 in the victory.

Huntsville was led by seven players in double figures. Shipp, Nichols, and Earl Barron all posted 14 points, with Bateer adding 13 points. Randy Orr and Bernard King each had 11 points, while Pettway added 10 in the loss.

Lavor Postell poured in 21 points, including a key basket with 8.9 seconds to play, to lift the Asheville Altitude to a 92-89 win over the Columbus Riverdragons on Tuesday night at the Columbus Civic Center. The win was the seventh in eight games and fifteenth in the last 19 games for the Altitude (21-16), who stayed within a half game of league leading Charleston.

The Riverdragons return to action Monday, November 22 at the Columbus Civic Center against the Fayetteville Patriots at 7:00 p.m. . The Flight continue their road swing on Sunday against the Asheville Altitude. For more information, log onto nbdl.com.



NBA G League Stories from November 21, 2004


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