Wideman Leads Groove Past Patriots
GREENVILLE, S.C., Dec. 29 -- Tom Wideman posted season highs with 25 points and 15 rebounds as the Greenville Groove defeated the Fayetteville Patriots 84-79 Saturday afternoon at the BI-LO Center.
Wideman collected his first NBDL double-double and played a season-high 35 minutes in the Groove's 10th victory of the season. With the victory the Groove improved to 10-12 while the Patriots fell to 5-15.
The Patriots led for most of the first half and took a 50-46 lead into the locker room at halftime. But the tide turned with a 17-0 Greenville run during the third quarter that gave the Groove a 65-57 lead headed into the final period.
Ahead 73-72 with two minutes remaining in the game, the Groove forced two 24-second violations on the Patriots before Billy Thomas hit a leaning jumper with 24 seconds on the clock to give Greenville a 75-72 lead. Wideman added a free throw to give the Groove a 76-72 lead before Greg Stempin cut the lead to 76-74 with a driving layup.
Forced to foul, the Patriots sent Thomas to the line four times in the final 16 seconds of the contest, where he was a perfect 8-for-8 down the stretch. Thomas' free throws helped secure the win for the Groove despite quick buckets by Danny Johnson and Terrell McIntyre.
DeeAndre Hulett scored 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field for Greenville on his 21st birthday. Jeff Myers and Thomas were the only other members of the Groove in double-digit scoring with 14 points each.
McIntyre led Fayetteville with 24 points and four three-pointers on the afternnon.
