DNR grabs the 79-73 victory
Under the bright lights of Rucker Park and towering Polo Grounds building at 155th and 8th ave, the underdogs of the EBC are making a run. The New York Falcons came into the game with a (3-2) record, set to face the struggling DNR who also have a (2-3) mark. With both teams stumbling into playoff contention, this game was all the more important.
With the stakes high DNR brought out former Louisville Cardinal Russ Smith, who made his EBC Debut with 12 points and provided a much needed spark to the offense of DNR, as they dominated the first quarter with a 21-14 lead. That score may seem close, but on the court there was a definite difference in game play between both teams. As the second quarter started Falcons guard Shane Mclaughlin gave the team rejuvenated life as they began to gain traction offensively, making the right passes to teammates. Especially Pete Brown, who had a great game offensively scoring 26 points.
As the third quarter came underway and the Falcons remained down for the third quarter by eight, they began a late game comeback in which they took advantage of DNR’s inconsistent and lazy rebounding. All of which helped the Falcons begin the fourth quarter with a tied game of 60-60. As the fourth quarter heated up with both teams trading buckets, as well as elbows for put backs and rebounds. Once again Russ Smith began to make his presence felt as he scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter alone as he helped wash away any hopes of the Falcons pulling the upset victory. The win improved DNR’s record to (3-3) with the 79-73 win over the Falcons, who now fall to 3-3.