Wizards squeak out win over Albuquerque
Published on January 15, 2007 under NBA G League (G League) News Release
SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Jan. 15, 2006 - The Dakota Wizards held off a late rally from the Albuquerque Thunderbirds for a 95-94 victory to cap off Monday's action in the 2007 NBA Development League MLK Showcase at the Sioux Falls Arena.
Guard Renaldo Major led Dakota (14-3) with 23 points and six rebounds as the Wizards, who won for the eighth straight time, were up by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter. James May had 17 points, Kevin Lyde 16 and Dontell Jefferson 15 for the Wizards.
"We fought through a lot of mental mistakes and found a way to make some plays at the end of the game," Dakota coach Dave Joerger said.
Forward Joe Shipp helped the Thunderbirds (8-11) cut the advantage to one point with under a minute to play. However, Major showed he isn't afraid to play on both ends of the floor when he blocked a Chris Rodgers' shot with 20 seconds left which led to an easy dunk by Lyde. Major's free throws on the next possession iced the game.
"I really think he's (Major) just got a huge heart," Joerger said. "He makes plays. He guarded Chris Rodgers at the end and he got a big block."
Shipp led Thunderbird scorers with 26 points. Tony Bland contributed 19, Duane Erwin 16 and Wesley Williams 11. Erwin collected nine rebounds.
"They like to play slow and execute. That's their pace," Joerger said. "[Maurice] Baker did a great job of setting the tone and pushing the basketball and we just kind of held out at the end."
Albuquerque is Tuesday's nightcap for Showcase action with an 8 p.m. CT tip against the Tulsa 66ers. Dakota and the Colorado 14ers close the Showcase at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
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