Thursday, March 30, 2000
Stuff move closer to playoffs
Blakney, Turner key rout of 'Runners
BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer contributor
The Cincinnati Stuff have one eye on their games and the other on the St. Louis Swarm.
Roderick “Moo Moo” Blakney and Wayne Turner took care of their business against Baltimore Wednesday. Blakney scored 23 points and Turner added 22 in a 119-95 victory at Firstar Center.
Cincinnati's magic number to clinch the IBL East title shrank to five (and four if Trenton lost to Las Vegas late Wednesday).
The Stuff also improved their home record to 25-3 and claimed their seventh win over Baltimore in eight games.
Blakney was thinking as much about St.Louis, which has the second-best record in the league, as he was his own performance Wednesday.
“We need the home-court advantage,” Blakney said.
Stuff coach Joby Wright was thinking about St.Louis, too, but said everybody needs to contribute.
“This is the best game Wayne and Moo Moo have played together,” Wright said. “We need not just five guys, but nine, 10 guys to play good basketball. It's a challenge.”
Said Blakney: “(Turner) looks for me on the break, and I look for him. The team feeds off that.”
And Baltimore? More misery — 12 straight losses, a 13-35 record and a 2-20 mark on the road.
Cincinnati's Tremaine Fowlkes added 22 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Stuff hurried to an 11-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. It was a balanced attack: Blakney had five of his 19 first-half points.
It looked like the BayRunners wouldn't recover. Greg Dabbs' bucket with 9:02 left in the first period was Baltimore's only points in a 14-2 Stuff run.
BALTIMORE — Tucker 0-1 0-0 0, Dabbs 10-17 1-2 22, Goodrich 5-10 1-6 11, Lee 1-1 0-0 2, Rogers 1-5 0-0 2, Harrell 7-11 0-1 16, Greer 6-12 2-2 15, Wilson 7-9 4-5 20, Werdann 3-8 1-2 7. Totals: 40-74 9-18 95.
CINCINNATI — Fowlkes 9-16 3-4 22, Sanders 6-18 3-5 17, Samake 2-4 2-2 6, Turner 10-13 2-3 23, Blakney 11-12 0-0 23, Brown 3-7 0-0 9, Williams 3-4 0-0 7, Edwards 3-6 0-0 8, Taylor 2-2 0-0 4. Totals: 49-82 10-14 119.
Baltimore ....... 25 25 24 21—95
Cincinnati ....... 32 31 23 33—119
Three-point field goals: Baltimore 6-20 (Dabbs 1-4, Goodrich 0-1, Rogers 0-3, Harrell 2-3, Greer 1-6, Wilson 2-3); Cincinnati 11-23 (Fowlkes 1-3, Sanders 2-4, Turner 1-2, Blakney 1-2, Brown 3-6, Williams 1-1, Edwards 2-5). Records: Baltimore (13-35), Cincinnati (35-14).
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