The Maine Red Claws, presented by Unum, out-scored Capital City 64-43 in the 2nd half to cruise to a 111-95 win over the Go-Go at the Portland Expo.
Maine (4-8) was led by Two-Way Player P.J. Dozier with 28 points and 14 assists. Justin Bibbs added 19 points to lead the bench on 7 of 8 shooting. Vitto Brown added 18 points, Andrew White scored 15 points, and Nick King recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Capital City (3-5) was led by Tiwian Kendley with 24 points off the bench.
The game started slowly, with the Go-Go jumping out to a fast start. Jordan McRae’s dunk put Capital City up by 10, and Maine trailed 22-12 after the first period of play. Maine was able to right the ship in the 2nd quarter, out-scoring the Go-Go 35-30, with Dozier leading the charge offensively. King tipped in a lay-up to cut the deficit to 2 at 49-47, but McRae’s three at the end of the half made it 52-47 Capital City at halftime.
In the 3rd, Maine started to take over the game. Specifically, Dozier took over the game, scoring 7 consecutive points to help Maine take the lead. The Red Claws wouldn’t look back, out-scoring Capital City 32-17 in the 3rd. Dozier scored 13 points in the 3rd quarter alone, as Maine shot 65% from the floor (13-20) in the period.
In the final period, Bibbs scored three’s (assisted by King) on consecutive possessions to extend the lead to 20. Maine cruised to victory in the final 12 minutes – the Red Claws shot 53.2% (42-79) from the field, 43.2% (16-37) and 11-17 from the free throw line. Capital City shot 43.2% (35-81) from the floor, 32% (8-25) from downtown, and 17-26 from the charity stripe.
The Red Claws return to action Thursday against Oklahoma City.