Bench Presses Dazzle to Victory

The Dazzle got a season-best 42 points from its bench, built a large early lead and held off Greenville 94-86 on Tuesday afternoon in the first ESPN2 national telecast at the Roanoke Civic Center. Roanoke was boosted by a 29-point second quarter -- its highest-scoring period of the season.

"We had people getting up and down the floor, and Danny Earl got us off to a great start," Dazzle coach Kent Davison said. "He hit a big three right off the bat, and that got us going in the right direction. We struggled a bit at times in the second half, and there were times when we let Greenville have too many offensive rebounds, but we had a good day."

The Dazzle (7-11) had four double-figure scorers, led by small forward Marshall Phillips, who recorded his third double-double of the season -- and second in three games -- with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Roanoke also was boosted by the return of Earl, the starting point guard who had missed three games with an abdominal strain.

Earl took only three shots, but all were from behind the three-point arc and all went through the net. The former Penn State star had two treys early, starting a solid afternoon for Roanoke's point guards.

Earl, Andre McCollum and Roanoke native Derrick Hines combined for 30 points and nine assists. Hines went 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the last minutes to loud cheers from his hometown crowd, keeping the Groove (9-11) at bay.

Roanoke matched its season high with eight three-point goals, and tops the NBDL with 103. The Dazzle led 57-32 at halftime, and had plenty to withstand a 31-point final period by the Groove. Greenville had five scorers in double figures, led by center Eric Chenowith's double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds), and guard Billy Thomas' 13 points.

"It's really disappointing to have guys come out in the first half and play as poorly as they did," Groove coach Milton Barnes said. "The guys just weren't ready to play the way they needed to play against a team like Roanoke.

"Give them credit. They shot the ball well (52.3 percent). They're good shooters and they've got size inside. They had everything clicking for tem today. They were just quicker to the ball. It was like men against boys in the first half."

Davison also was happy with the play of 7-foot-2 Thomas Hamilton, who was benched in the Dazzle's Dec. 23 win over Fayetteville, and didn't play the next night in a one-point loss at Greenville. The NBDL's only player averaging a double-double came off the bench for four points and seven rebounds.

"Being able to have 'Ham' back in there playing the way he did, with a lot of energy," Davison said. "He's an important part of our team. I guess when you have a family sometimes you have those moments when you don't see eye-to-eye. That doesn't mean you stop loving each other and wanting to work together."

Of the Roanoke guard play, Earl said, "It was nice to knock down a few shots early and get us going. We did a pretty good job of taking it to the basket, and when you can do that and knock down shots, too, it makes it tough for them to defend."