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Second Half Surge Lift Dragons To Win Over Altitude

February 27, 2004 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga.—Down fourteen points at halftime, the Columbus Riverdragons used a spirited third quarter rally to upend the Asheville Altitude in come-from-behind fashion, 101-98, on Friday night at the Columbus Civic Center. Trailing 57-43 at the break, the Dragons (11-21) outscored the Altitude (14-15) by a margin of 33-17 in the third period and 58-41 in the second half to snap a two-game losing skid. The victory moved Columbus within four and a half games of fourth place and the final NBDL playoff spot. Erron Maxey led all scorers with 23 points and five rebounds for the Riverdragons, while Lavor Postell posted 18 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, to lead the way for Asheville.

Asheville started red hot in the first quarter by shooting 14-24 from the field (58%) and grabbing a fourteen point lead, 31-17, at the end of the period. Greg Stevenson and Antonio Meeking each contributed eight points in the opening flurry. Down two, at 8-6 following a Derrick Zimmerman lay-up with 8:29 to go, Asheville turned things around quickly with a 25-9 run over the final 8:18 of the quarter. Kris Lang got it going with a lay-in, then saw Meeking score six of the next eight points for Asheville over the next two and a half minutes to finish off a 10-0 spurt, giving the Altitude a 16-8 advantage. Stevenson then took over late in the period, pumping in eight points in the final four minutes to up the lead to fourteen points after one.

The Altitude opened the second quarter with a Stevenson three-ball to boost the lead to 17 at 34-17. Columbus closed the gap over the next six and a half minutes on the hot shooting of Maxey who dropped in seven points in the stretch, including a 21-foot jumper with 4:02 left that brought the Dragons within eleven, 48-37. Two Postell free throws at the 1:10 mark culminated a 9-2 run that opened up the lead to a game-high 18 at 57-39. The Dragons got two free throws from Sedric Webber and a Terence Morris lay-in to close the gap to fourteen at halftime, 57-43. The Altitude finished the half shooting 53.5% from the field and 5-9 from three-point range.

The tide took a dramatic turn in the third quarter for Columbus. Following a Lang reverse lay-up that gave Asheville a thirteen-point, 65-52 advantage with 8:09 remaining in the stanza, the Riverdragons came alive with the play of Zimmerman who finished the quarter with eight straight points. The rookie point guard out of Mississippi State hit a lay-up, free-throw and two long distance jumpers, including a three, to help the Dragons finish the period with 24-9 rally and a 76-74 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Columbus upped the advantage to eight twice in the fourth quarter, the last on a Jeff Myers jumper that made the score 88-80 with 7:21 left. The Altitude would not let the Dragons deliver the knockout punch, responding with a 7-0 run in the next three minutes to close within one at 88-87 on a Postell jump shot. Postell then tied it at 90 apiece on a trey from the left wing with 3:17 to go. Columbus answered with a 5-0 spurt, as Webber was fouled by Kareem Reid on a lay-up and made the subsequent free throw to boost the Columbus advantage to five at 95-90 with 2:13 on the clock. Asheville again received a boost from Postell, whose three-pointer and one of two foul shots tied it up for the Altitude at 95-95 at the 1:19 mark. Following a Riverdragons miss and Morris foul, Lang gave Asheville its final lead by making one of two free throws with 1:10 remaining. Myers would make the play of the game with 52.8 seconds to go, as the veteran point guard drilled a 21-foot jumper to give the Dragons the lead right back. Following an Altitude miss on the other end, Maxey hit two free throws with 33.1 seconds to go, making it a three-point game at 99-96. Webber put the final touches on the win with a pair of free throws with 8.6 seconds left.

Columbus received another solid performance from its bench as Morris finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Webber and Nick Sheppard posted 15 and ten points respectively. Zimmerman continued his solid play of late, with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The Altitude finished with six players in double figures. Lang notched 17 points and eight rebounds, Stevenson finished with 16, and Reid tallied 14 in the loss.

The Riverdragons return to action next Friday night, March 5 at the Columbus Civic Center against the second-place Roanoke Dazzle at 7:00 p.m.. The Altitude match up against the first-place Charleston Lowgators on Tuesday, March 2 at the Asheville Civic Center. For more information log onto nbdl.com.

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