Knight nets 29 in 27-point L.A. victory
Lathan collects 25 points and 13 boards
It takes more than jet lag to stop a talented basketball player like Billy Knight.
One night after recording a double-double in his 2010 Lightning debut, the 6-5 former UCLA standout poured in 29 points on Saturday night as Los Angeles overcame a slow start to rout the USA All-Stars 146-119 at Cal Lutheran.
Eight days earlier, Knight helped lead the Hamamatsu Phoenix to the championship of the Basketball Japan League.
“Skill is skill,” said Lightning coach Ron Quarterman. “We’re glad to have Billy back.”
Trayvon Lathan added 25 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive). The IBL's fourth-leading scorer (27.4 ppg) hit 10-of-11 from the field and has made 76.7 percent (23-30) the last two nights.
The defending IBL champion Lightning (8-2) trailed 35-25 late in the first quarter before going on a 22-4 run, ignited by six st
raight points from the 6-8 Lathan. Drew Housman (15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds) capped the run with a layup that gave L.A. a 47-39 lead that it never relinquished.
Housman, a 6-1 guard from Harvard, put the icing on the cake by swishing a 60-footer at the buzzer.
Fred Vinson had 19 points, Travis Pinick had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Juaquin Hawkins added 14 points and five assists. Ja’Shon Hampton started his first game at point guard and finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Bryon Russell had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Lightning, who outshot the visitors 57.1 to 37.5 percent in the second half and crushed them on the boards 44-19. Overall, L.A. enjoyed a 70-46 rebound advantage.
Phillip Lockhart topped the All-Stars with 31 points while Kamron Alborz had 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Vinson nailed five 3-pointers and Knight hit 4-8 from downtown. Knight scored 12 in the second quarter, helping the Lightning to a 38-23 advantage and a 65-58 halftime lead.
“The defense made the difference,” said Knight, who tallied his 29 points in just 27 minutes. “I’m extremely jet-lagged, I just got back on Wednesday.
“In the last three quarters (when they outscored the All-Stars 119-84), we played tough defense and we all passed the ball around. And what can you say about Trayvon? Wow, he only missed one shot … he’s definitely the top player in the league.”
The teams will complete their three-game series on Sunday with a 7 p.m. game at Cal Lutheran.
