Columbus Duo Dominates Dazzle

The victory was the third straight for the second-place Riverdragons. The Dazzle have lost three straight, dropping six of their last seven games.

Muoneke tied a season-high with 25 points (11-for-17 FG) along with nine rebounds, just one board shy of posting his second double-double of the season.

"We played real hard and did a great job of team rebounding," said Muoneke. "We were able to run up and down the floor as a team. We had a good effort and gave the fans some good quality basketball."

Fowlkes was able to notch his third double-double of the season, pitching in 16 points (8-for-15 FG) and 10 rebounds.

"We played good defense on their big guys," said Fowlkes. "We tried to contain them but you really can't do too much when they are that big and that close to the bucket."

The Dazzle were led by seven-footers Lorenzo Coleman and Thomas Hamilton. Coleman began the game hitting seven of his first eight shots from the floor, scoring 14 points with six rebounds in the first quarter alone.

Coleman, however, was hampered by foul trouble the rest of the way, and managed to score just four points in the final three quarters to finish with a team-high 18 and 12 rebounds. Hamilton, the league‘s leading rebounder, had 14 points (6-for-11 FG) and nine rebounds.

"We had some good thing going in the first half," said Dazzle head coach Kent Davison. "But like we have done most of the season we could not find a way not to score. You can't score 22 in a half, especially on the road and expect to win a game."

The Dazzle scored were held to nine points in the third quarter.

"We should of won," said Coleman. "No question they played great D. But we kind of slowed down a little in the third and lost focus. That was the turning point in the game."

Muoneke, who earned his first double-double in Saturday's win over Huntsville, added two steals and two blocks while matching up with the Dazzle's 7-foot-2, Hamilton. Listed at 340 pounds, Hamilton outweighs Muoneke by more than 90 pounds. Muoneke received help on the defensive end from newly acquired forward John Jackson. Jackson did not score but helped neutralize the Dazzle's big men in the paint defensively.

"That's what its all about," said Riverdragons head coach Jeff Malone. "John Jackson and Gabe can match-up with any center in this league. Our team can go small because these are tough versatile guys."

The Riverdragons were also able to shut down Dazzle guard Artie Griffin, the league's fourth-leading scorer. Griffin was held to seven points on 3-for-11 shooting from the floor. Andre McCollum pitched in 10 for the Dazzle.

The Riverdragons had little answer for Coleman in the first quarter. Coleman exploded for 14 of the Dazzle's 21 points while pulling down six rebounds, including four off the offensive glass. Coleman's jumper gave the Dazzle a 21-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Dazzle began the second quarter with a 5-0 run to take an eight-point lead, 26-18, on a three-pointer by Marshall Phillips. The Riverdragons battled back with a 21-8 run to take a seven point lead with 22 seconds left in the half on a jumper by George Reese. The Riverdragons led by five, 39-34, at the half.

Columbus opened the second half cruising on an 11-4 run, capped by a three-point play by Stais Boseman with 4:12 remaining in the quarter to go up by 12, 50-38. The Riverdragons would extend their lead to a game-high 14 points on a layup by Muoneke with 6:59 to play in regulation. The Dazzle would pull within six points with less than a minute to go on a three-pointer by McCollum but Roanoke would not get any closer in suffering is third straight loss.