Rip City vs. College Park
ATLANTA (Interstat) -- In a game defined by offensive fireworks and a frantic final minute, the College Park Skyhawks snapped a five-game losing streak with a 141-136 victory over the Rip City Remix in a G League contest Saturday afternoon at Gateway Center.
The game was a showcase for Skyhawks guard RayJ Dennis, who delivered a masterful triple-double with 34 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to will his team to the win. His performance was the catalyst for a College Park offense that operated with elite efficiency, scoring 141 points on just 107 possessions.
Rip City, despite a spectacular 46-point outburst from point guard Sean Pedulla, could not keep pace in the closing moments. The game featured 18 ties and 21 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than nine points.
The most critical sequence unfolded in the final 30 seconds with the score knotted at 136. After Pedulla sank two free throws to tie the game, Dennis drove and hit a floating jumper to put College Park ahead 138-136 with 21 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Pedulla’s potential go-ahead 3-pointer missed, and Skyhawks center Basheer Jihad secured the defensive rebound.
Fouled immediately, Jihad missed his first free throw but made the second for a 139-136 lead with 15 seconds remaining. Pedulla was then fouled on a 3-point attempt and calmly sank all three free throws, tying the game at 139 with eight seconds on the clock.
The Skyhawks inbounded to Dennis, who was fouled with eight seconds left. He made both free throws to restore a two-point lead. Rip City’s final chance to tie or win ended when Andrew Carr’s 3-point attempt missed, Alex Reese’s tip attempt failed, and Jihad grabbed the game-sealing rebound as time expired.
The frantic finish capped a game where both offenses shone. College Park shot 45% from the field and 37.8% from 3-point range, aided by 17 makes from beyond the arc. Caleb Houstan added 26 points for the Skyhawks, while Tyler Polley had a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double and Jihad finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Rip City, which fell to 19-15, shot 46.9% overall but just 29.2% from deep. Pedulla’s 46 points came on 17-of-31 shooting, and he added seven assists. Blake Hinson contributed 22 points for the Remix. The teams were nearly even in rebounds and turnovers, but College Park’s slight edge in assists and steals, coupled with their superior 3-point shooting, proved decisive.
The Skyhawks, who improved to 9-24, won despite entering the game as significant underdogs according to predictive metrics. The teams will meet again at the same venue Monday night.