<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> The Charlotte Bobcats took the court for the first time in franchise history on Tuesday night, and came away with a victory in the initial game, defeating former assistant coach Sam Mitchell and the Toronto Raptors in the Minnesota Summer League at Target Center, 69-53. ?We defended well and we played hard. It was the first game and our shooting wasn?t that great to start, but we defended hard and that got us going,? said Assistant Coach Gary Brokaw, who coached the team. ?It was a good effort by everyone and a great starting point.? Charlotte held the Raptors below 30% from the field in each of the four quarters and Toronto shot .243 (17-70) from the field for the game. The Bobcats also held a 46-33 advantage in rebounds. The Bobcats took a 2-0 lead when Corey Benjamin hit a runner in the lane for the first points of the summer. Charlotte held a 14-12 lead after the first quarter as Toronto shot .211 (4-18) from the field. Six different Bobcats scored in the first period. Charlotte began the second period with an 8-2 spurt for a 22-14 advantage and shot .642 (9-14) from the field in the quarter to take a 35-25 halftime lead. Smush Parker banked in a 35-footer at the halftime buzzer to cap off a 21-13 period. Kaniel Dickens tallied seven points in the second period. ?It was good to get out there and play against some other team after practicing so hard,? said Tamar Slay, who came off the bench to pace the team with 15 points. ?Once I got out there I got in a nice groove and my shot felt good.?</div> Another fast start in the third quarter put the Bobcats ahead by a 45-29 margin, following a 10-4 spurt when Toronto hit 1-8 from the field to begin the third. Charlotte?s lead stayed above 12 points for the remainder of the period. Slay scored seven points in the period and the Bobcats outrebounded the Raptors by a 12-5 margin in the quarter. Charlotte?s lead reached 20 points in the fourth quarter with a 67-47 advantage. Woods finished with seven points and nine rebounds, including seven rebounds in the first half. Gerald Wallace was active on both ends of the court all game long and finished with eight points, four rebounds, three blocks and numerous deflections.
