Skyhawks' fourth-quarter burst lifts College Park to 131-124 win

Basheer Jihad powered College Park’s late surge, finishing with 33 points and 11 rebounds as the Skyhawks erupted for a 42-point fourth quarter to turn a deficit into a 131-124 road victory in Detroit. The Skyhawks’ 42-point final period erased a three-quarter hole and sealed the trip home with a win.

College Park trailed after three quarters, 32-34, 58-65 at halftime, and 89-99 after three, before the 42-25 fourth-quarter outburst produced the final margin. The game featured six lead changes and a sustained Motor City advantage for most of the contest; Motor City led 84 percent of the game clock while College Park led just 15 percent, and Motor City’s largest advantage reached 12 points while College Park’s biggest lead was nine.

Efficiency separated the teams. College Park shot 56 percent from the floor on 43-of-77 shooting and hit 9 of 27 three-pointers, while Motor City attempted far more shots, 106, but converted 48 for 45 percent and made 13 of 43 from deep. Free throws were 21 of 29 (72 percent) for College Park and 9 of 12 (75 percent) for Motor City. The Skyhawks committed nine turnovers to Motor City’s seven and were out-rebounded 47-42, underscoring that College Park’s higher accuracy, especially inside scoring, powered the comeback.

The stat sheet highlights the single-game performances that swung the result. Basheer Jihad’s 33 points and 11 rebounds anchored the inside attack, and RayJ Dennis dished 12 assists to fuel the Skyhawks’ ball movement in the fourth quarter. Game leader listings also included Wendell Moore Jr., O’Mar Stanley and Drew Peterson among the top contributors on the floor, and the referees were Eric Lewis, Leah Lanie and Chelisa Painter.

In standings context, the result is a noteworthy road victory: Motor City entered the snapshot at 12-11 while College Park appeared at 6-17, and the win registers as a W1 for the Skyhawks. The scoreline underlines a larger pattern from the night, Motor City’s volume and rebounding advantage did not overcome College Park’s superior shooting efficiency and a concentrated late scoring burst.

The win puts a spotlight on College Park’s offensive ceiling when Jihad finishes inside and Dennis creates for others, and it leaves Motor City with questions about closing out games despite leading for the bulk of regulation. The Skyhawks left Detroit with a comeback that flipped a game controlled by the Cruise into a 131-124 upset on the road.