NBDL Opener Has It All

GREENVILLE, S.C., Nov. 16 -- The North Charleston Lowgators edged the Greenville Groove 96-91 Friday in a thrilling seesaw battle as the National Basketball Development League tipped off its inaugural season.

The first points scored in league history were courtesy of Rahim Lockhart's slam dunk on an assist by Greenville teammate Jeff Myers. For the rest of the first quarter, Greenville's Eric Chenowith took over, dropping 13 points to lead all scorers.

Greenville stayed on a scoring spree and opened up a 16-point lead on North Charleston midway through the second quarter.

But coach Alex English refused to let his team quit. Applying traps and defensive pressure, North Charleston gained the advantage and erased the deficit to lead at halftime, 47-46.

In the third quarter, Tess Whitlock of North Charleston became lethal from behind the arc, putting up 13 points.

In the final period, North Charleston increased its lead to 15. Then things got tense. Greenville coach Milton Barnes argued a little too passionately with the referees and was ejected from the game. Stepping into the head coaching role for the remainder of the game was assistant coach Stephanie Ready, the first woman to coach a men's professional team.

Greenville settled down into a groove and trimmed the Lowgator lead to five with only 39 seconds to go in the game. Still, it was too little too late. A desperation three with less than three seconds left missed the mark and it was all over.

MAKING HISTORY: A LIST OF NBDL FIRSTS
FIRST GAME	North Charleston Lowgators vs. Greenville Groove, November 16, 2001
FIRST OPENING TIP	4:08 p.m. (EST) Eric Chenowith, Greenville, vs. Makhtar N’Diaye, North Charleston; Lowgators control tip.
FIRST FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT	C.J. Black, North Charleston.
FIRST FIELD GOAL MADE, FIRST DUNK	Rahim Lockhart, Greenville, 9:23 remaining, first quarter.
FIRST FOUL	Makhtar N’Diaye, North Charleston, 9:01 remaining, first quarter.
FIRST FREE THROW MADE	Eric Chenowith, Greenville, 9:01 remaining, first quarter.
FIRST STEAL	Jeff Myers, Greenville, 8:26 remaining, first quarter.
FIRST ASSIST	Merl Code, Greenville, 8:22 remaining, first quarter.
FIRST THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL MADE	Chris Robinson, North Charleston, 7:36 remaining, first quarter.
FIRST SUBSTITUTION	Tom Wideman for Rahim Lockhart, Greenville, 4:00 remaining, first quarter.
FIRST BLOCKED SHOT	Tony Christie, Greenville, 40.2 seconds remaining, first quarter.
FIRST FINAL SCORE	N. Charleston 96, Greenville 91.