Patriots use height advantage to down Roanoke
January 31, 2004 - NBA G League (G League)
Fayetteville Patriots News Release
Having 6-foot-8 George Williams defend seven-footer Jason Collier in the post was not the dream matchup Roanoke Dazzle coach Kent Davison wanted, but circumstances and foul trouble made him do it. The Patriots used their height advantage to earn a 101-96 win over the Roanoke Dazzle on Saturday at the Crown Coliseum.
Collier led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Patriots grabbed a season-high 48 rebounds, while holding the Dazzle to just 33 boards.
"It was a no brainer to go inside,'' Patriots coach Jeff Capel said. "They played most of the game with a small lineup, so they were quicker than we were, but I thought we executed well offensively and really took advantage of Collier's size."
Davison and the Dazzle had one seven-footer â Mikki Moore â playing out a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz. Chris Christoffersen, the seven-footer the Dazzle drafted in the 2003 NBDL Draft, was sitting on the Patriots bench, Saturday. The Dazzle had to release Christoffersen when Moore returned from his first call up with the New Jersey Nets earlier this season.
The Dazzle's other two big men â Kevin and Geoff Owens â were burdened with foul trouble most of the night. Thus, the Dazzle went with a four-guard lineup to handle the bigger Patriots.
"We ran into a situation where we had to use all of our fouls to stop Collier,'' Davison said. "I thought we had a chance at the end, but they grabbed three straight offensive rebounds. Those rebounds allow you to run down the clock."
The Patriots opened up a 71-58 lead with 4:11 remaining in the third quarter. A Curtis Staples layup and two Mike King free throws helped the Dazzle to get the lead down to seven at the end of the third. Fayetteville was not able to get the lead any bigger than eight in the fourth quarter, and when Williams got in the lane to score on a short hook shot with 2:38 remaining in the game, the Dazzle had whittled the Patriots lead to 97-94.
On the Patriots next possession, Bryan Lucas missed a three. But instead of one of the Patriots big men grabbing the board, the Dazzle allowed 6-2 guard Omar Cook to come away with the offensive board, which led to a Junie Sanders layup and a five-point lead with 1:45 to play.
The Dazzle again cut the lead to three, but a Cook miss was followed by a Jason Capel offensive board that led to Jason Collier hitting one of two free throws to give the Patriots a 100-96 lead with 19 seconds remaining in the game.
"We definitely dominated on the backboards tonight,'' Collier said. "It allowed us to get the ball moving up the floor quicker and get into a rhythm offensively. We had no choice but to make our height work for us tonight."
The Patriots' plus-15 rebound margin is the largest in their three-year history. Bryan Lucas helped the Patriots achieve that feat as he finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Britton Johnsen added 14 points and nine boards, and Cook had a season-high 14 assists.
Marque Perry led the Dazzle with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Williams added 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Patriots (12-12) are in action again on Saturday, Feb. 7 when they take on the Charleston Lowgators at the Crown Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. Roanoke (12-10) plays again Tuesday, when it faces the Lowgators in Roanoke at 7 p.m.
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