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Riverdragons Upend Dazzle Again in Overtime, 96-93

March 26, 2004 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga.—Back-to-back lay-ups from Courtney James and Sedric Webber broke a 90-90 tie in overtime and the Columbus Riverdragons pulled away for a 96-93 victory over the Roanoke Dazzle in front of 4,211 fans at the Columbus Civic Center on Friday night. It was the fifth time this season that Columbus and Roanoke went to the extra session to decide a game. Webber posted a game-high 27 points for the Riverdragons (16-24) as Columbus won its third straight and sixth in the last eight overall. Josh Asselin continued his strong play against the Dragons, tallying a team-high 25 points and 17 rebounds. The loss was the Dazzle's fifth in a row and sixth in the last seven overall dropping Roanoke under the .500 mark to (20-21) overall. Columbus now stands three and a half games behind Roanoke in the race for fourth place and a berth in the NBDL-Delta Airlines Postseason Classic.

Both squads struggled mightily on the offensive end in the first quarter. Roanoke finished the period 6-22 from the field, while Columbus hit just seven of 21 shots to take a 19-14 advantage after one quarter. Kevin Lyde and George Williams led their respective clubs with six points in the stanza. The difference came on the glass as the Dragons outboarded the Dazzle 17-9 and and 5-1 on the offensive boards to help claim the lead.

Roanoke began to show life in the second quarter. Following a James lay-in with 11:41 remaining in the half that gave the Dragons a 21-14 lead, Curtis Staples came off the bench to hit two threes in a 9-2 run over the next 1:29 to tie it at 23-all. But James finished off a Dragons 7-2 spurt over the next 2:42 and Columbus would go back up by five at 30-25 with 7:00 left in the second quarter. Four Dragons turnovers allowed the Dazzle to close the gap again, with a Mike King driving lay-up that capped off a 9-3 spurt, giving Roanoke a 34-33 advantage with 2:41 to go. King upped the lead to three on a 21-foot jumper, but Webber and Derrick Zimmerman combined for five points in the final 1:36 to tie it at 38-38 heading into halftime.

After grabbing a six point lead at 50-44 on a Webber free throw with 8:01 to play in the third quarter, the Dragons again saw Roanoke forge back in the contest. Asselin's five-foot fadeaway with 3:33 left in the stanza capped an 11-2 rally that put the Dazzle in front 55-52. Columbus answered, getting 11 points combined from Webber and Jeff Myers in a 12-6 spurt over the final 3:16 of the period to vault the Dragons to a 64-61 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Up by five, at 74-69, following a James lay-up with 7:18 to play, the Dragons again could not hold off the Dazzle. Mike King's lay-in off an assist from Marque Perry finished off a 8-2 run over the next 1:40, and Roanoke took the lead again, 77-76 with 5:38 left. After trading the lead three times over the next minute and a half, Columbus went back in front with back-to-back lay-ins from Webber and Zimmerman to claim a three point advantage at 82-79. Myers responded to a Williams 13-foot jumper with a driving lay-up to keep Columbus up by three. Perry weaved his way throught the Dragons defense for a lay-in and got fouled by Jeff Myers with 1:58 to go. His free throw tied it at 84-apiece. Lyde momentarily put the Dragons back in front with a jump hook with 1:39 left. But Asselin wouldn't be denied taking it to the goal for a lay-up and the foul with 46 seconds remaining. He couldn't connect on the tiebreaking free throw however, and the two teams missed opportunities in the final twenty seconds, the last being Perry's lay-up attempt that was blocked by James with under a second to go forcing overtime.

Columbus opened up the extra session with three quick points on a free throw from Myers and a Zimmerman lay-in to claim an 89-86 advantage. Perry answered with four straight points including two free throws with 2:23 to go, giving Roanoke the lead right back at 90-89. James' lay-up with 1:33 left gave the Dragons the lead for good at 92-90 and Perry missed one of two free throws to keep Columbus in front, 92-91. Webber followed with another Columbus lay-in with 20.1 seconds left to make it a three-point game once again. A Perry lay-up brought the Dazzle back within one at 94-93 with 14 seconds on the clock, but Myers hit two free throws on the ensuing possession and the Dazzle couldn't get a three-point attempt off in the final ten seconds to fall for the fifth time in nine head-to-head meetings with Columbus.

Five players scored in double figures for Columbus. James supplemented Webber's output with his twelfth double-double of the season, posting 15 points and a season-high 18 rebounds. Lyde finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots, while Myers added twelve off the bench. Zimmerman rounded out the Columbus double-figure scorers with eleven points along with nine assists and seven rebounds.

Perry and Terrence Shannon ended up with thirteen points apiece for the Dazzle. Williams and King provided twelve and eleven points respectively in defeat for Roanoke.

The Riverdragons return to action this Sunday, March 28 on the road at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville against the Flight at 5:00 p.m. CST. The Dazzle return home this Tuesday against the Asheville Altitude. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. EST at the Roanoke Civic Center. For more information log onto nbdl.com.

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