Aug. 7, 2007 — Man Dem came from behind to beat Ujima 82-74 in game one of their best two-of-three series Monday night at the Educational Complex Gym.
The game, the nightcap of a Choices Basketball Association summer league playoff double header, had fans cheering from the opening whistle till the end. Many came to the gym expecting a good game, but the favorite had to be perennial powerhouse Man Dem.
But Man Dem hardly looked the part early on as Ujima came out on fire and looked set to blow the previous champs out of the gym. Ujima’s fast start appeared to catch Man Dem off guard. Ujima reeled off 10 straight points on a 10-0 run before Man Den could get on the board.
Man Dem looked lost as Ujima controlled every aspect of the game, offensively and defensively. Omari Applewaite finally got Man Dem on the board with a long three-pointer. Ujima, however, kept its pedal to the metal. With 3:30 left in the opening stanza, the lead was nine at 16-7 after a three by Man Dem’s Khalid Gerard. The teams then scored five points each to close out the period with Ujima still maintaining a nine-point lead at 21-12.
Seven players scored for Ujima in the opening quarter, led by Jerome Nathaniel with six points. Man Dem hurt themselves at the line in the opening period, missing nine of 13 free throws.
Showing why they are one of the top contenders for this year’s crown, Man Dem opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 21. A three by Ujima’s Alfredo Edwards gave the lead right back to them at 24-21. Man Dem then scored four straight to lead 25-24. After a couple of lead exchanges, Ujima led 28-27 with 3:31 left in the half. They then went on a 9-4 run to lead 37-31 at the break.
Man Dem may lack size, but they make up for it by being one of the quickest and fittest teams in the league. Many times during the regular season they have shown the ability to surge when others tired in the second half, and Monday night was no different. They outscored Ujima 24-14 in the third quarter to lead 55-51, utilizing a balanced attack that saw seven different players scoring and a tenacious defense that limited Ujima offensively.
Man Dem continued their turnaround in the fourth, and with 5:03 left in the game they led by 11 at 67-56. Four straight points by McIntosh cut the lead to seven at 67-60. Man Dem responded with an 11-4 run for a 14-point lead at 78-64. A 7-0 run by Ujima again brought them within seven points of the lead at 78-71 with 50.3 seconds left, but they could get no closer. McIntosh tried to get his team back into the game almost singlehandedly with 10 points in the final quarter, but balanced scoring from Man Dem down the stretch neutralized his efforts.
Man Dem had six players in double figures. Leading the way was Wilson Ferrance with 14, Gerard with 13, Applewaite with 12 and Amon Thomas with 11. Zomari Swanston and Malik Hodge both finished with 10 points each. For Ujima, Nathaniel and McIntosh both tallied 19 points in a losing cause, while teammates Edwards and Kareem Degrasse netted 12 and 10 points respectively.
In the early game, Man Dem took a 1-0 series lead over the youthful Lakers with a 78-69 victory.
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