PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Red Claws used shut-down defense in the third quarter and solid scoring in the fourth to pull away from the Iowa Energy Thursday night, 115-101, in NBA D-League action at the Portland Expo.
Coty Clarke led all scorers with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Corey Walden, making the start for the Claws, finished with 18 points, and Omari Johnson and Malcolm Miller added 17 points each. R.J. Hunter, on assignment from the Boston Celtics, scored 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, and Tim Frazier finished three points shy of a triple-double with 7 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
Maine (23-15) got a hot early start from Clarke, who scored the first seven points. The Energy made a run late in the period; a flagrant-1 foul on Hunter made it closer, then Traevon Jackson took the lead for Iowa with back-to-back buckets at the end of the quarter. Iowa had a 29-26 lead after one.
In the second, Maine’s Omari Johnson hit a 3-pointer to even the game at 34. Clarke would score his 10th point of the game and give Maine a 57-53 lead, but Iowa then scored the final four points of the quarter to go into halftime all square, 57-57. The Red Claws outscored the Energy 31-28 in the second quarter.
Maine took the lead in the third quarter for good, outscoring Iowa 25-15 in the period. Clarke and Walden traded buckets, and Walden’s three-point play put Maine up five. Miller contributed back- to-back baskets, and when the dust settled on the third quarter, Maine had an 82-72 lead.
The Red Claws came out on fire in the fourth, opening the quarter on an 11-3 run and upped their lead to 95-75. Iowa had one last, going on a furious 19-3 surge to cut the deficit to 98-94. Johnson drained a crucial three to right the ship, and Clarke, Hunter and Miller followed suit, sealing the victory.
The Claws shot 44 percent (40-91) from the floor and 35 percent (14-40) on 3-pointers. Maine missed seven free throws (21-28, 75 percent). Iowa (17-21) shot 46 percent (39-85) from the floor, but just 32 percent (8-25) from 3-point range, and missed 10 free throws (15-25, 60 percent).