Hawkins, Ford lead Fayetteville out of 20-point hole
February 11, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Fayetteville Patriots News Release
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., February 11 - After a quiet, scoreless first half, Sharrod Ford exploded for 19 third-period points to pace a furious comeback and Fayetteville downed Arkansas, 132-120, in NBA D-League action at the Crown Coliseum Saturday. The Patriots improve to 6-19, while the RimRockers are 10-17.
The teams play again Monday night at the Crown.
The two kept each other in check for the most part until early in the second, when Arkansas began to stretch out a lead. The Rim Rockers went on a four-minute, 19-4 tear that put them up 52-37 midway through the period. Center Lawrence Roberts had 11 points in the quarter, all from the paint or the free throw line. By the final two minutes of the half, the lead was 20. But the Patriots settled down and scored the final three baskets and the score at the break was 64-50.
Ford got to work early in third, scoring a layup barely 30 seconds in. Ford hit four more layups, a pair of dunks and some timely free throws, while Cliff Hawkins nailed six jumpers and the Arkansas lead was three by the end of the third. In the fourth, center Kevin Lyde came to life in the middle, scoring eight in the first five minutes while Fayetteville built a 10-point lead.
The RimRockers tried to chip away at the lead, cutting it down to eight a couple of times, but the Patriots answered every push.
Hawkins and Ford had season-high totals - 28 and 26, respectively - while Lyde had 22, Erik Daniels had 19 and Melvin Sanders added 18. Roberts paced the RimRockers with 30. Olu Famutimi and Anthony Roberson added 16 each.
The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up to the NBA on 50 separate occasions. Ten (10) former D-League coaches, five athletic trainers, 11 referees and 30 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November of 2001.
Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.
For more information on the Patriots or the NBA D-League, visit fayettevillepatriots.com or call (910) 213-1005.
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