College Park vs. Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Interstat) — The Grand Rapids Gold will look to complete a quick home sweep of the College Park Skyhawks when the G League teams meet again Saturday at Van Andel Arena.

Just two days after a 132-128 victory over the Skyhawks, the Gold (14-8) host a rematch against a College Park squad (6-15) seeking revenge and a rare road win. The teams combined for 260 points in Thursday’s shootout, a trend Grand Rapids will aim to continue on its home floor.

Grand Rapids’ Coleman Hawkins enters on a historic high, coming off a triple-double performance Thursday with 14 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists against College Park. The center’s all-around play has been a catalyst for the Gold, who sit comfortably above .500. He will be matched against College Park’s Basheer Jihad, who posted 27 points and 11 rebounds in the previous meeting.

The Skyhawks will lean heavily on guard RayJ Dennis, who torched the Gold for 26 points and 10 assists in the narrow loss. Dennis is averaging 19.3 points and 7.7 assists over his last three games, providing the primary offensive thrust for a struggling College Park team that has lost eight of its last ten.

Despite their losing record, the Skyhawks have proven they can challenge the Gold, as evidenced by Thursday’s four-point margin. Containing Hawkins and limiting second-chance opportunities will be critical for the visitors. For Grand Rapids, maintaining its offensive efficiency — it has scored 119 or more points in eight of its last ten games — will be the priority against a College Park defense that allows an average of 117.7 points per contest.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. EST Saturday. Grand Rapids hosts Wisconsin on Sunday, while College Park travels home to face Osceola on Monday.