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Nighthawks complete sweep, beat Newark 119-110

January 15, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Maryland NightHawks News Release


Rockville, MD - The Maryland Nighthawks felt fortunate to get the victory.

The Nighthawks built a 14 point lead five minutes in the game, lost it right before halftime, saw the deficit extend to 10 in the third quarter, then went on an 11-0 run and regained the lead for good, giving the Nighthawks a 119-110 victory of the Newark Express.

The Express, who trailed by seven points after the first quarter, outscored the Nighthawks 33-23 in the second period and took their first lead of the game after Elijah Thorpe drained a 22 foot 3-pointer with 17 seconds to in the first half, giving the Express a 59-56 advantage at halftime.

The Express opened up the second half on a 13-3 run, forcing Nighthawks head coach Keith Williams to call a time out. The Nighthawks switched their lineup and went with a defensive unit going with a full court press causing the Express to commit careless turnovers. The Nighthawks were able to go on an 11-0 run in the next 2:20 and regained the lead 70-69 and never looked back.

Randy "White Chocolate" Gill led the Nighthawks with a game high 23 points and seven rebounds. Andrew "Spongebob" Washington had another strong performance finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds and Warren Jefferson, who played a major part in the Nighthawks comeback in the third quarter, came off the bench to score 16 points. Hugh "Baby Shaq" Jones, playing in only his fifth game for the Nighthawks, finished with his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Johan Matos, who started the season with the Nighthawks and played his college ball at Montgomery College, led Newark with 21 points, six assists, and four rebounds and Amin Wright came off the bench to score 21 points for the Express, who fell to 2-15 on the season.

The Nighthawks will return to action next weekend when they play host to the Wilmington Sea Dawgs on Saturday, January 20 at 7:05 pm and against the Buffalo Silverback on Sunday, January 21 at 4:05 pm.

Notes: The Maryland Nighthawks hosted a kid's basketball clinic before the game. Head coach Keith Williams, assistant coach Bill Black, and Nighthawk players, Arthur Lewis, Anton Jenifer, and David Bailey instructed a group of 40 kids which included stretching, conditioning, dribbling, ball control, shooting techniques, and a chance to go one-on-one with Arthur Lewis...Today's game against Newark was the Nighthawks third game in three days, all being played at home. The Nighthawks swept the three games and improved to 5-3 at home...Recently retired Nighthawks guard Lawrence Moten was in attendance at today's game.

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.

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