2007 Pepsi Pro Summer League - CHA vs. NJN
The New Jersey Nets recovered from a 10-point halftime deficit to win their second game at the Pepsi Pro Summer League, topping the Charlotte Bobcats 72-66 on Thursday at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, Fla. New Jersey used a 31-16 third quarter to propel themselves to the victory behind leading scorers Marcus Williams and Hassan Adams, both of whom scored 16 points for the Nets.
New Jersey outscored Charlotte 19-10 in the first five minutes of the third and took their first lead of the game since the first quarter, 45-44, at the 3:37 mark on a Brandon Hunter 10-footer. New Jersey kept the momentum for the entire 10-minute period, heading into the final stanza up five, 55-50. Williams had a big third quarter for New Jersey, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting.
The Nets did give up their lead briefly in the fourth, when a Gabe Muoneke high bank shot and foul gave Charlotte the lead again with 4:35 remaining in the game, 61-59. But New Jersey quickly recovered with three trips to the line from Sean Williams and a basket from Hassan Adams that put the Nets back on top for good. Charlotte stuck around late in the game, coming as close as 68-66 on a Muoneke tip with 9.7 seconds left on the clock, but the Nets drilled 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
The Nets were outscored 21-12 in the first quarter and had a hard time recovering in the second, shooting just 33.3 percent in the first half and committing 12 turnovers en route to a 34-24 halftime deficit. Jared Dudley was hitting on all cylinders for the Bobcats early on, knocking down 4-of-5 shots and making it to the line 10 times, hitting seven, for 15 first half points to go along with his five rebounds.
Dudley, who also grabbed 10 rebounds, and Bobby Brown paced the Bobcats with 16 each, while Muoneke scored 10 points for Charlotte, who fell to 2-2 on the week. All five Nets reached double figures, while Josh Davis recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. The Bobcats shot just 35.3 percent in the second half, compared to the Nets’ blistering 51.5 percent from the field.
- Melanie Curtsinger
