FREE THROWS THE DIFFERENCE IN CHARLESTON VICTORY
SAN JOSE -- A 12-point advantage at the charity stripe proved to be the difference in this semifinal opener for Charleston, as the Mountaineers used free throws to pull away late for a 75-68 win. They are now up 1-0 in this best of three series, needing one more win to get to the finals.
Both teams shot relatively the same percentage from the floor, and San Jose out-boarded Charleston by 10. But too many fouls were the undoing of the Fighting Amigos, who committed 20 to just 9 by the visitors.
It looked like a rout early, as Charleston got off a 9-0 run to start the game. But to the delight of their home fans, San Jose answered with a 10-0 start to the second quarter, and trailed by just one point at the half.
The Fighting Amigos actually took the lead about midway through the third, but only for a few time units.
When Louie Subgum fouled out for San Jose with 47 left, the Fighting Amigos trailed 58-54; and when Bruce Hammer was disqualified on fouls with 24 ticks left, Charleston was ahead 65-62.
A medium jumper by rookie shooting guard Dayshotta Leo of San Jose then brought the home team to within one, 65-64 before Charleston finally put things out of reach with a trey by B. Quiet, a steal by Joseph and a hoop by Art Vandelay.
This appears to be a tough match-up for San Jose, whose top two scorers, Leo and Pippi Pippistrelli, are up against two brilliant Charleston defenders, Beezow Bop-Bop and J.J. Gargantuan.
PLAYER OF GAME
Returning from a three-game injury, Charleston guard BEEZOW BOP-BOP immediately asserted himself with a triple-double, Player of the Game performance. The 6-1 guard had 13 points, tied for the game-high in rebounds with 6 and blocked 7 shots by San Jose's leading scorer, Dayshotta Leo. The block total was one short of the playoff record. Plus, Bop-Bop added 3 assists.
OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Jesus Moron Joseph ran an outstanding point, with a game-high 7 assists and a game-high 3 steals. He also scored 13 points and had 3 rebounds, dominating his opponent, Louie Subgum.
-- All-MBA center J.J.Gargantuan dominated last season's All-MBA center, Pippi Pippistrelli, easily winning the battle of fine second-year centers. Gargantuan scored a game-high 21 points, pulled down 3 rebounds and had 3 blocked shots, holding his opponent to 6 points...8 below his season average.
-- Rookie guard Dayshotta Leo of San Jose was right on his season scoring average with 16 points, but had to take 20 shots in order to get to that number. The 6-5 Leo tied for game-high rebounding honors with 6, but had 7 shots blocked and was 0 for 6 from beyond the arc. He also had 2 assists and a blocked shot.
-- The well-traveled Bruce Hammer of San Jose knows how to score and he did just that, taking advantage of the one weak spot in the Charleston defense, Art Vandelay. Hammer led his team in scoring with 19 and pulled down 6 boards. He also had 1 steal and 1 assist before fouling out.
NEXT UP: Milwaukee hits the road, traveling to Dallas. The Greyhounds lead 1-0 and can clinch a finals spot.
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