Riverdragons Fall To Flight

COLUMBUS, Ga., Jan 5, 2002-The Huntsville Flight (9-13), playing without three starters including its top two scorers, overcame a six-point deficit with 2:08 to play in the fourth quarter and escaped with a 72-71 victory over the Columbus Riverdragons (11-10) at the Columbus Civic Center.

The Flight were led by guard Jimmie Hunter with 14 points, including the game-winning lay-in off a rebound with 12.5 seconds remaining in regulation. Flight shooting forward Greg Stolt tied for the team lead in scoring with 14 points, hitting 3-4 from three-point territory.

"We are starting to play forty minutes," said Flight head coach Bob Thornton. "We only had eight guys, and we stepped up huge. It was a collective effort and we did a great job."

The Riverdragons were led by Tremaine Fowlkes who had 24 points and ten rebounds to notch his team-high fourth double-double. Ray Tutt scored 16 points and Gabe Munoke pitched in 11 points with nine rebounds. Riverdragons center Karem Poole had ten rebounds, his team-high fifth double-digit rebound performance of the season.

The Flight pulled off the victory without its top-two scorers, Terrance Roberson and Shelly Clark, and without its top-two rebounders, Clark and Kelvin Price. Roberson (sore back) and Price (sore shoulder) missed tonight's game due to injuries. Clark was serving a one-game league suspension for unsportsmanlike acts in the Flight's previous two games against the Riverdragons.

The Riverdragons led the entire game late until former Columbus center David Crouse hit a 15-foot jumper from the left elbow to give the Flight its first lead at 70-69 with 50.8 seconds remaining in regulation. The Riverdragons Nate Johnson answered with a 18-foot jumper from the right corner to retain the lead at 71-70.

Flight guard Jimmie Hunte responded by getting his own rebound and laying the follow-up off the glass to give the Flight the lead for good. Gabe Munoneke's last shot for the Riverdragons was blocked by Lonnie Harrell with six second to play to seal the Flight victory.

The Flight outscored the Riverdragons 23-15 in the final quarter. The Riverdragons were outscored Friday night 23-13 in the fourth quarter in their 81-71 loss to the Lowgators in N. Charleston.

"I can't teach mental toughness," said Riverdragons head coach Jeff Malone. "I can only tell these guys to watch the tape and how to handle the ball. We took bounce passes. You have to be fundamentally sound, and I always tease these guys about wanting to know what they did in college. We are fragile. We have a good basketball team right now, but we have to work to become one again."

The Flight have now won four of their last five, with three wins against three of the top four teams in the NBDL. The Flight have beaten the first-place N. Charleston Lowgators, the first-place Mobile Revelers and the fourth-place Riverdragons in the last seven days.

The wins snaps the Riverdragons four game win-steak against the Flight. Even with the loss, Columbus has won five of the seven meetings against Huntsville this season. The Riverdragons continue on their worst slide of the season, dropping five of their last six and have not won at home since beating the Roanoke Dazzle, 74-65, on December 19, 2001 at the Columbus Civic Center.

The Riverdragons hit the road to play their first game of the season against Tiny Archibald's Fayetteville Patriots this Tuesday, January 8 in Fayetteville. The Riverdragons do not return home until Friday, January 11 to face the Greenville Groove. The Flight head back to Huntsville to host the Groove on Tuesday at the Von Braun Center.

RIVERDRAGONS QUOTES:
HEAD COACH JEFF MALONE:
On what Columbus is missing: "I can't teach mental toughness. I can only tell these guys to watch the tape and how to handle the ball. We took bounce passes. You have to be fundamentally sound, and I always tease these guys about wanting to know what they did in college. We are fragile. We have a good basketball team right now, but we have to work to become one again."

On leadership: "Trying to figure out who is going to step up and lead is the key in the fourth quarter. If you watched the game in Charleston, no one is stepping up and leading. I am trying to look for two or three guys that realize the game is about to end, but some of these guys are soft. Some of them are talking about going to the next level, but some of them are going to be out of the game in three or four years, easily."

FORWARD TREMAINE FOWLKES:
On the loss: "We shouldn't have let it get that close. They came and just handled us as far as the zone goes. That is something we have to work on more in practice, but I give them all the credit. We should have came out with the ‘W,' but we have to bounce back. "

FLIGHT QUOTES:
HEAD COACH BOB THORNTON:
On tonight's win: "We are starting to play forty minutes. The league took our best player away from us tonight, and we had a couple of injuries. We only had eight guys, and we stepped up huge. It was a collective effort and we did a great job."

On the loss of a key player: "Anytime you are shorthanded you are going to step up and play, and we answered the call. This was a huge win for us."

GUARD JIMMIE HUNTER:
On his performance tonight: "I had a good first half. I slowed down second half, but we are playing as a team. It doesn't matter how we get the win, as long as we get the win."

GUARD MICHAEL WILKS:
On tonight's win: "Tonight our team showed a lot of heart. We came in shorthanded, missing a lot of our key players, but we just believed in the huddle. We believed we could win this game as long as we stick together, and tonight we just came together and tried to make up for players that weren't able to play tonight."