Charleston 61, Sacramento 56
Mountaineers keep rolling
SACRAMENTO -- The final score of this cross-over is not reflective of two of the MBA's top offensive teams, for in the end it was first-place Charleston's defense that squeezed the life out of the defending champion River Dogs in a 61-56 victory.
After scoring 23 points in the opening quarter, Sacramento hit a king-size drought in the final stanza, scoring just 4 fourth quarter points. Meanwhile, the eventual victors managed just 10 in that same time frame, which proved to be more than enough, securing the triumph on a 3-pointer from Don Barzini with 13 ticks left that gave them a 7-point lead.
The win was the fourth in a row for Charleston, improving its record to 6-1. Going the other way is Sacramento, now 2-5 with four consecutive defeats.
The East secured the season advantage with this win as it is now ahead 6-1 in cross-overs.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sacramento's Hall of Fame center TREE FIDDY dominated the opposition at his position, scoring a game-high 21 points on 10 of 11 shooting. He hit his first 10 shots before finally having the 11th blocked by Poppa Popcorn. He was 1 for 2 at the charity stripe. The 11th year wunderkind also pulled down 4 boards, tied for team-high with 2 assists and blocked 1 shot. It is the first POG for him this season.
Other 20-plus GVP performances
-- Third-year 6-9 forward Sheetrock Hudson of Charleston continues to be the top MVP candidate in the league this season. In this game he battled one of the other contenders, Doo-rag Dripp, and although he did not dominate, he had the upper hand. Hudson led the victors in scoring with 16 points, tied for team-best with 4 rebounds and added 1 assist.
-- Sacramento power forward Wardy Joubert III controlled the boards in this game with a game-high 8 while scoring 9 points, dishing 2 assists and blocking 1 shot.
POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS
Charleston....2...4...2...4 Total=12
Sacramento...0...4...2...2 Total=8
POINTS PREVENTED LEADERS
1. Don Barzini, Charleston 4
1. Poppa Popcorn, Charleston 4
1. Wardy Joubert, Sacramento 4
TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTERS
Charleston....0...5...1...1 Total=7
Sacramento...4...1...1...1 Total=7
TURNOVERS CAUSED LEADERS
1. Mister Methane, Charleston 4
2. Boney Skelletrino, Sacramento 3
EAST DIVISION STANDINGS (no changes)
1st -- Charleston 6-1 (4-game winning streak)
2nd -- Philadelphia 5-2
3rd -- Milwaukee 4-3
4th -- Dallas 3-4 (4-game losing streak)
Last -- Oklahoma City 2-5
WEST DIVISION STANDINGS
1st -- Seattle 5-2 (unchanged)
2nd -- San Jose 3-4 (up from 3rd) (head-to-head tie-breaker)
3rd -- Los Angeles 3-4 (down from 2nd)
4th -- Sacramento 2-5 (unchanged) (4-game losing streak) (division wins tie-breaker)
Last -- Gillette 2-5 (unchanged)
UPCOMING BRACKET OF GAMES (No. 8)
-- Milwaukee at Dallas...Greyhounds get Dallas on a downward spiral. Beat them by 13 recently.
-- Philadelphia at Oklahoma City...Phobia won by 6 in first meeting...this is not a gimme.
-- Sacramento at Los Angeles...first of two meetings in which one of these teams needs to sweep.
-- San Jose at Gillette...they play each other twice in the last three games...advantage Amigos.
-- FEATURED GAME: Seattle at Charleston in a cross-over battle of division leaders.
Latest DM power rankings
1. Charleston
2. San Jose
3. Philadelphia
4. Seattle
5. Milwaukee
6. Oklahoma City
7. Sacramento
8. Los Angeles
9. Gillette
10. Dallas
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