The Motor City Cruise would take on the Oklahoma City Blue for the first time all season. Welcoming them into Wayne State Fieldhouse, the Cruise would look to get back on track after a couple of tough losses.
Stop Feeling so Blue
What a start for Motor City. The Cruise came out firing for the home crowd as they would pour it on early to hold a 16-4 advantage behind Jared Rhoden, who had a great start to the game. Oklahoma City wasn’t about to let this one get away early, they would put together an 11-2 run to cut the Cruise lead to a one-possession game. Motor City would continue to hold on to the lead, and they would find themselves with a 27-24 lead after one quarter of play. David Nwaba led the charge early for Motor City (7 points).
It would be another solid start in the second quarter for the Cruise as they would up their lead to eight behind a 5-0 run to begin the quarter. The fun wouldn’t stop for the boys in blue and red as their lead would grow all the way to fifteen with 4:59 remaining in the quarter. Oklahoma City showed they wouldn’t be going away anytime soon by going on 9-3 run of their own late. It would be the Cruise heading to the locker room with a 52-46 lead at the half. Jahmi’us Ramsey (7 points) helped the Blue stay right in the thick of things. Jared Rhoden (8 points) led a potent scoring attack helping the Cruise hold their lead throughout.
Battle-Tested
The Blue would flip the script on Motor City to start the third quarter. They would cut the lead to one for the Cruise by putting together an 8-3 run. Things would calm down a bit for the Cruise as they would be able to hold on to the lead through their offense. It would be Motor City with the lead heading to the final quarter, 84-80. Ramsey and Ousmane Dieng helped keep this one tight for the Blue. Nwaba and Keifer Sykes paced the Cruise.
Oklahoma City would continue to push the pace in this one; they would take the lead after a 6-0 run putting the score at 86-84. That wouldn’t last long as the Cruise would recover the lead shortly thereafter. With just 2:53 Oklahoma City would hold a slim one-point lead. Both teams would trade baskets over the next minute before a Nwaba layup would put the Cruise up 108-106 with just 48.2 seconds remaining.
Deing would knock down a big three-pointer to give the Blue a one-point lead with 29.3 left to play. Led by Sykes, the Cruise would regain the lead yet again, as it looked like they might pull this one out with 20.6 on the clock. But with just 3.0 seconds to play, Oklahoma City’s Ramsey would get fouled and head to the line to look to steal one for the Blue. He would make the first and miss the second, and we were headed to overtime all knotted at 110-110.
David Nwaba was a man on a mission, especially in the extra period. He put the Cruise up by four in the early going. The Blue wouldn’t go away, though, they would cut it back to a one-possession game shortly after. It wouldn’t be enough though, a big offensive foul would give Motor City the ball back with little time remaining. It would be the Cruise on this night, 117-113.
The Numbers
Jahimi’us Ramsey led the Blue with 25 points and 8 assists on the night. Ousmane Dieng was a menace for the Cruise as he went for 24 points. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was big with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Adam Mokoka led the Oklahoma City bench with 17 points (3 three-pointers) and 6 rebounds.
Abdul Gaddy helped the Blue offense with 7 points and 6 assists. Olivier Sarr finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds. Robert Woodyard II added 10 points and 4 rebounds.
David Nwaba was the man that made the Cruise go all night as he put together an amazing effort with 35 points (13-16 from the field), 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Keifer Sykes was big on the night with 24 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds). Jared Rhoden helped with putting up a big night of his own to finish with 23 points and 7 rebounds.
Jaylen Johnson, getting more playing time on the night, came up big for the Cruise with 8 points and 11 rebounds. Kyler Edwards struggled with his shot a bit. He was still able to help in other ways by adding 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Buddy Boeheim added 9. ShawnDre Jones finished with 5 in limited action off the Cruise bench.
Up Next
The two teams would tango again on Saturday night. Oklahoma City will drop to 7-11 on the season. With the win, the Cruise snap a 3-game losing streak as they now sit at 6-11 on the year. Saturday night’s tip will begin at 7:00 PM at Wayne State Fieldhouse.
