Wizards Overcome 4th Quarter Deficit To Defeat T-Birds
March 3, 2010 - NBA G League (G League)
Dakota Wizards News Release
BISMARCK, ND, March 3, 2010 - On a night in which the Dakota Wizards recognized #2 overall NBA Draft pick Hasheem Thabeet with $2 General Admission seats for fans, it was fellow Memphis Grizzlies assignee Lester Hudson that led the Wizards back from a twelve point fourth quarter deficit to seal a 100-91 win over the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. Many Wizards looked sluggish playing the second of back-to-back games, but Hudson gave head coach Rory White the spark he was looking for off of the bench, scoring 24 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists.
After losing by 28 points on Tuesday night, Albuquerque came out focused and jumped to an early 24-12 lead in the first period. No Thunderbird was locked in more than Keith McLeod, who put up an eye-popping 44 points in the loss. Dakota had trouble containing McLeod, who made it to the free throw line 15 times, sinking 14 of those attempts. Albuquerque shot 66.7% from the field in the opening frame while holding the Wizards to 33.3% and took a 30-19 lead into the second frame.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball in the second quarter, with each side hitting only six field goals. For Dakota, it was their performance from the free throw line that had White pacing the sidelines, converting only 6-of-13 opportunities in the period. Despite their shooting woes, the Wizards were able to make a dent in Albuquerque's lead and trailed 48-39 heading into the locker room at halftime.
A 10-2 Wizards run in the third period capped by a beautiful Romel Beck finger roll cut Albuquerque's lead to two points with a little over three minutes left in the frame. Just when it seem like Dakota had snatched the momentum, the Thunderbirds reeled off an 8-0 run of their own to close out the quarter, giving them a 71-61 lead going into the final period.
Looking for answers in the fourth quarter, White turned to two of his big men that may have been overlooked with Thabeet-mania in full force. Curtis Withers and Cory Underwood went to work in the paint for Dakota, keying an 18-1 run that saw the Wizards go from trailing by twelve points to leading by five with 7:20 remaining in the game. After Dakota secured the lead, Hudson simply took over the game, scoring 19 of his 24 points in the final quarter and helping the Wizards pull away with the win.
Beck had another outstanding game for Dakota, scoring 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with five rebounds. He was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Despite a rough night on the offensive end, Thabeet pulled down 10 rebounds in the win. Along with McLeod's monster effort, Antoine Agudio chipped in 13 points for the Thunderbirds.
The Wizards will head to Tulsa on Friday to meet the 66ers and newly assigned Byron Mullens and Kyle Weaver. Albuquerque will head back home to host Idaho for a pair, also beginning on Friday.
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