The St. John’s Edge’s bid to move into first place overall in the National Basketball League of Canada got derailed in a 118-112 loss to the Windsor Express Tuesday night at Mile One Centre.
Omar Strong sank 22 points as one of six Windsor (11-12) players to score in double figures in a game that saw the visitors lead after every quarter and stretch a two-point halftime lead to 15 by the end of the third frame.
Carl English, with 26 points and seven assists, and Charles Hinkle, with 22, led St. John’s (15-9), which fell out of a share of top spot in the league with the idle London Lightning.
Grandy Glaze had 14 points and a game-leading 11 rebounds for Edge in a contest played before a crowd of around 2,500.
The biggest contributors to the difference in the scores were shooting efficiency (Windsor hit 56 percent compared to 43 for St. John’s), successful three-point shots (the Express had 17 to 10 for the Edge) and bench production (led by Strong, Windsor’s bench outscored St. John’s 39-21).
Logan Stutz added 20 points for Windsor, Chad Frazier sunk 19 and Maurice Jones of had 17 points and a game-high eight assists for the Express.
The two teams meet up again 7 p.m. today at Mile One as the Edge look for a split of the two games with the Express and of a four-game homestand that started with a loss and win against Moncton last weekend.
