Power Lose High Energy Fan Appreciation Night
February 27, 2015 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
Mississauga Power News Release
(Mississauga, ON - ) Despite strong rebounding and a 40 point performance from the bench the Power were defeated 112-103 by the Moncton Miracles in the last game of the regular season and "Fan Appreciation Night". The Power fought to the bitter end with Malcolm Grant dropping a team high 21 points and Doug Thomas leading the charge on the boards with 16 rebounds.
The Power went to work with a balanced approach that paid off with a 16-10 lead with four minutes to go in the frame. Guard Tut Rauch stepped in with 7 points, but the way he involved the team is what distanced the Power from the Miracles. Forward Doug Thomas was a beast on the boards, ripping down four to keep Mississauga in charge of the pace. But Moncton didn't lie down that easily and closed the quarter with 13 points to tie the game at 23.
Forward Marcus Capers sparked Mississauga's confidence by drawing a hard foul on a layup for a three point play. But Moncton couldn't be stopped and took its first lead 33-31. The Power fought back with a three ball from Rauch on a wide open look and a defense splitting finger roll from guard Jordan Weidner. The only downfall was that the Power didn't have an answer for Moncton's Trayvon Lathan and his 19 total half points that propelled the Miracles to a 55-42 lead into halftime.
Guard Malcolm Grant set off to turn the tables with a cutter through the lane but Moncton took advantage of a handful of steals and whizzed to a 62-54 lead. Once the Power settled in and started to retake control of the tempo guard Omar Strong breathed some life into the offense with a swish from downtown. It rubbed off on Power defense and the squad held Lathan to five points. Then Capers came in and capped the rally with a monster slam to cut Moncton's lead to five. The buzzer sounded with the Miracles holding a 80-70 edge but momentum was slowly coming back to the Power.
Again Grant broke the ice and scored the first five points for Mississauga, but the squad couldn't string a solid run together. Mississauga trailed 92-81 going into a timeout but came out of it with an immediate three from Weidner. The post came alive through a strong offensive board and put back from centre Paul Cooper and Weidner nailed another three to pull within eight points. The Power's determination only got tougher in the last two minutes with Grant hitting back-to-back three's for his 11th point of the quarter to make it a 106-100 ball game. With less than a minute to go forward Brian Oliver drained a clutch three pointer to make it a five point game but it was the closest Mississauga would get to Moncton. The Miracles pulled off a 112-103 win.
The Power enter the playoffs with a first round matchup against the first place Windsor Express. The playoffs come to the Hershey Centre on March 12 and 17 (if necessary) with tip off starting at 7:30 p.m.
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National Basketball League of Canada Stories from February 27, 2015
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