Raptors 905 lose second straight to College Park Skyhawks
The Raptors 905 (1-2) suffered their second straight loss to the College Park Skyhawks (3-0) at the Gateway Center Arena 101-95 Wednesday night.
The 905 were down by 20 points at one point after the Skyhawks started the game on a 7-0 run before battling back to take the lead for the first time with 7:20 left in the third quarter. Sloppy defence, poor shooting and nine first-quarter turnovers got the junior Raps in the initial hole, but they cleaned up a lot of the issues as the game went on.
After starting 0-for-5 from distance, the 905 finished the first half 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and 7-for-21 to end the game. They also turned the ball over less and less each quarter, losing possession four times in the second, three times in the third, and only twice in the fourth quarter.
They couldn’t quite get the job done, however, as Jarkel Joiner, Dom Barlow, and Daeqwon Plowden slammed the door shut. After going for 30 points, six rebounds, six assists and cashing in five times from deep against the 905 on Monday, Joiner went for another game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists last night.
Barlow and Plowden were also impressive, combining for 40 points, 16 rebounds (Barlow had 13), and four blocks.
Chomche is no chump
Easily his best game of the season, Ulrich Chomche put together a solid contest while Branden Carlson was quiet (four points, four assists, three rebounds).
The 57th overall pick put up 12 points, nine rebounds, and a whopping four blocks before fouling out in the fourth quarter. His motor and athleticism were on full display all night, including making a nice move on the block for the and one.
In the 18-year-old’s first two games before tonight, Chomche put up two points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and shot 1-of-4 from the field.
Interestingly, Chomche and Carlson were on the court together, being outscored 7-6 in the near three minutes.
Chandler productive once again
The 905’s leading scorer, Kennedy Chandler, once again led the Mississauga squad in scoring (alongside Charlie Brown Jr.) with 16 points while adding nine assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Coming into this one, the 22-year-old was averaging 25.0 points, 8.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, and was shooting 50 percent from the field. Believe it or not, this was Chandler’s worst game of the year.
The great passing acumen and the pace that the Memphis, Ten. native plays with has popped thus far for the 905, and at only 6-foot-1, he was able to put a College Park defender on a poster.
Key given the keys
With D.J. Carton out tonight due to an ankle sprain (slipped in Monday’s game against the Skyhawks), Tyreke Key moved into the starting spot, giving the 905 their third starting lineup in as many games.
The 26-year-old played well in his expanded role last night, putting up 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. While not having the on-ball juice as Carton, Key was just as efficient and competed on defence. He went 6-for-11 from the field and 2-of-6 from distance.
Key has had great moments on defence, drilled big shots (including the game-winning shot in the season opener), and has ultimately been one of, if not the most impactful player off the bench to start this season, earning him a spot start last night.
Other notable performances:
Charlie Brown Jr. 16 points, four assists, four steals, two rebounds
Dylan Disu, 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, 4-for-7 from the field
Quincy Guerrier, nine points, nine rebounds
Jordan Bowden, 15 points, four assists, three rebounds, 3-for-8 from distance
Mouhamed Gueye, 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block
Next up for the 905, they close out their season-long, five-game road trip with a pair of matchups in Capital City against the Go-Go.
Check back Sunday for a full-week preview featuring those two meetings with Capital City, as well as the 905’s home opener at Paramount Fine Foods Centre against the Long Island Nets.
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