College Park vs. Greensboro
GREENSBORO, N.C. (Interstat) — In a G League shootout that required an extra period to decide, the College Park Skyhawks edged the Greensboro Swarm 141-138 in overtime on Saturday night at Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse.
The game, a dramatic reversal from the previous night’s result between the teams, saw the Skyhawks overcome a significant second-half deficit and withstand a furious Greensboro rally in the final seconds of regulation to secure the road victory.
The contest was characterized by relentless offense from the opening tip. College Park established a narrow 40-39 lead after a first quarter that featured 10 lead changes. The pace scarcely slowed in the second, with Greensboro taking a 77-68 advantage into halftime behind a 38-point quarter.
The Swarm’s lead ballooned to as many as 14 points in the third quarter, but the Skyhawks methodically chipped away. A 13-2 run by College Park, capped by a RayJ Dennis three-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer, cut the deficit to just four points heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter became a tense back-and-forth affair. College Park finally drew even and the lead changed hands five times in the final three minutes. With the Skyhawks leading by two in the final seconds, Greensboro’s P.J. Hall was fouled on a put-back attempt with 0.02 seconds remaining. Hall calmly sank both free throws to tie the game and force overtime.
In the extra period, College Park’s Keshon Gilbert and Kobe Johnson hit crucial three-pointers to establish a lead the Swarm could not overcome. Greensboro had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but a desperate three-point attempt was off the mark.
The most critical sequence of the game occurred in the final two seconds of regulation. Trailing by two, Greensboro’s Liam McNeeley missed a short hook shot, but Hall secured the offensive rebound and scored while being fouled. His subsequent free throws, under immense pressure, sent the game to overtime and momentarily swung momentum to the home team. However, the Skyhawks regrouped to dominate the extra period and snap Greensboro’s two-game winning streak in the head-to-head series.
The Skyhawks improved to 18-31 with the win, while the Swarm, who were projected as heavy favorites, fell to 34-16.