Maine Red Claws at Delaware 87ers 7:00 p.m. Westchester Knicks at Erie BayHawks 7:00 p.m. Canton Charge at Oklahoma City Blue 8:00 p.m. Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Rio Grande Valley Vipers 8:00 p.m. Idaho Stampede at Bakersfield Jam 10:00 p.m. Reno Bighorns at Santa Cruz Warriors 10:00 p.m.
D.J. Seely scored 33 points and the Delaware 87ers hit consecutive 3-pointers in overtime for a 114-108 win over the Maine Red Claws in an NBA D-League game Friday night at Bob Carpenter Sports Convocation Center. Read more http://www.pressherald.com/2015/01/24/good-things-in-3s-for-delaware/
In the first ever matchup between the two teams in Erie Insurance Arena, the Erie BayHawks (10-16) defeated the Westchester Knicks (8-17) 98-74 for the first time in franchise history. Erie had lost the first three matchups against the Knicks in their inaugural season, all on the road. The Knicks started the game on an 11-4 run as Erie's small-ball lineup caused early rebounding problems. Westchester was able to snag six offensive rebounds in the first five minutes. Erie then used a 21-4 run to take their first lead of the game behind Peyton Siva's 10 early points. The visiting Knicks trailed by nine after the first frame. A Leslie McDonald three to begin the second quarter extended Erie's lead to 12. Newly acquired Joe Crawford recorded his first points in the NBA Development League to silence a mini Knicks run that had the game to single digits. Erie started to gain control of the game midway through the quarter after Siva drilled his fourth three-pointer of the half. A Jarvis Williams and-one followed by a Seth Curry three on back-to back possessions gave Erie a 26 point lead. Westchester's large deficit wouldn't change as the BayHawks headed into locker room up 57-31. The 11 points put up by the Knicks in the second quarter were the lowest Erie allowed in any quarter all season. Siva continued his high scoring game with a steal and lay-up to give Erie their biggest lead of the game at 31 early in the third. The Knicks were able to cut into the lead using an 11-1 run behind Andre Barrett and Ben Strong's combined nine points. Erie would hold onto a 25 point lead heading into the final quarter after a John Bohannon buzzer-beating three. An evenly matched final quarter was not what Westchester was hoping for. Siva's lay-up with three minutes left in the game was good enough to tie his season high with 25 points as Erie went on to win 98-74, their second largest margin of victory this season. Siva's 25 points were also good enough to lead the game in scoring. Williams, who made his fourth consecutive start tonight, followed with 16 points. Curry and Crawford, Erie's number one and two scorers, only combined for 13 points, a good sign for Erie's role players. Curry's 11 points were his second lowest of the season. Daniel Coursey, who started Erie's first 23 games but has come off the bench the past four, recorded a double-double while scoring his third straight double-digit game. Ben Strong for the Knicks came off the bench to lead Westchester with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Darnell Jackson, who led Westchester with 11 first half points, was held to just two in the second to tally 13 total. Orlando Sanchez was the only other Knicks player in double-digits with 10. The BayHawks head to Canton tomorrow to try and win their first game against the Charge this season. Erie then travels to Oklahoma City to take on the Blue Thursday and then close up their third straight road game back at Canton next Saturday. Press release from the Erie Bayhawks
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Grant Jerrett scored 20 points with six rebounds to help lead the Oklahoma City Blue to a 109-101 win over the Canton Charge on Friday at the COX Convention Center. Seven players scored in double figures as the Blue earned its seventh straight victory. Semaj Christon tallied 17 points, seven assists and three rebounds while fellow point guard Marquis Teague scored 11 points and distributed six dimes. In their past four games, Christon and Teague are combining to average 14.8 assists. Maurice Sutton totaled 12 points, nine boards and three assists and Mario Little produced 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Josh Huestis scored 11 points with six rebounds and Reggie Williams led the bench in scoring with 13 points. Neither team led by more than five points in the opening quarter as the Blue held a 23-22 lead through the first. Oklahoma City used an 8-0 run in the middle of the second to take a 39-28 lead and outscored the Charge 36-22 in the period. The Blue shot 24-of-40 (60.0 percent) from the field in the first half to hold a 59-44 advantage at the break. Oklahoma City opened the second half with a 14-5 run and led by as many as 33 points in the third quarter. Canton outscored the Blue 35-14 in the fourth quarter, using a 25-6 run to pull within six points with just under a minute to play. Key rebounding helped fuel four straight points from the Blue to hold off the Charge's late comeback and seal the win. "We can't allow a bad fourth quarter to cloud the fact that we played really well for the first three quarters," said Blue Head Coach Mark Daigneault. "I thought we played really well tonight and then in the fourth quarter got a little loose to start and they came back. We had to hang on at the end, which was a different feel. I don't want to overlook the fact that our team played really hard and played the right style of basketball for those first three quarters." The Blue (15-10) outrebounded Canton 44-40 and shot 42-of-79 (53.2 percent) from the field on 24 assists. Canton (13-13) was led by Arinze Onuaku and Justin Johnson with 18 points each. Oklahoma City, who has won 11 of its last 13 games, is back in action Saturday night when it hosts that Austin Spurs at the COX Convention Center. Ticket information for the 7 p.m. contest can be found on OklahomaCityBlue.com. Press release from the Oklahoma City Blue
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers (12-12) snapped the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (16-11) eight-game winning streak with a 118-112 victory tonight at State Farm Arena. Tonight's win also helped the Vipers continue their own winning streak to 5-0. All three Houston Rockets assignees led the Vipers with double-doubles. Nick Johnson led the team with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Clint Capela scored 19 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Isaiah Canaan with 19 points and 10 assists. Chris Johnson also added 17 points. Andre Emmett led the Mad Ants with 21 points. Erick Green added 20 points. Gary Talton contributed a double-double 19 points and 10 assists. Canaan started the game with a shot from beyond the arc to put RGV up 3-0. The Vipers did not trail until the last minute of the first quarter when Fort Wayne stole its first lead, 28-26 courtesy of a jump shot by Fair. At the end of the first quarter, the Mad Ants led 30-28. The lead changed four times throughout the second quarter as each team fought for control. With 5:24 remaining in the first half, Harris sank a free throw put Fort Wayne ahead 49-48. The Mad Ants ended the half on a 13-2 run and held a 62-50 advantage at halftime. With 7:47 on the clock in the third quarter, Talton sank a three point shot to set the Mad Ants lead at 75-65. Canaan responded with a three-pointer that sent the Vipers on a 10-0 run that tied the game at 75 points. Emmett responded with a jump shot to put the Mad Ants back in the lead 77-75. Nick Johnson answered with a three-point shot to give RGV its first lead of the second half, 78-71. The Vipers remained ahead until a jump shot from Green stole the 90-89 lead for the Mad Ants to end the third quarter. Both teams battled for the lead throughout the first minutes of the fourth quarter. Canaan sank a three-pointer with 3:36 remaining in the game to give RGV a 108-105 lead. The Vipers remained on top to take the 118-112 win. The Vipers are back at home tomorrow night when they host the Mad Ants for the second game of this back-to-back series. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT). Vipers fans can follow the action live all season on FOX Sports 1700 AM or watch games live at NBADLeague.com. For more information about the RGV Vipers 2014-15 season or to purchase season tickets, contact the Vipers at 956-972-1144. Press release from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers
The Bakersfield Jam (17-8) defeated the Idaho Stampede (4-21), 109-97, Friday night at the Dignity Health Event Center. Six Jam players scored in double-figures, led by Phoenix Suns assignee T.J. Warren who scored a game-high 34 points on 16-of-26 shooting. The Jam led by as many as 12 points in the first half and went into the break with a 55-49 advantage. In the third, both teams put up 24 points, keeping it a six-point lead for the Jam (79-73) entering the final frame. Bakersfield pulled away in the fourth as they stretched their lead to as many as 16 points, thanks in part to Earl Barron's 11 points (5/6 FGs) in the quarter. Barron finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Tyler Ennis, also on assignment from the Suns, finished with 17 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Joe Jackson had 11 points and Mac Koshwal notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five steals. Jerel McNeal tallied 10 points. The Stampede were paced by Jerelle Benimon (25 points, 9 rebounds) and Joel Wright (21 points, 11 rebounds). Jack Cooley and Shane Gibson finished with 12 points apiece. Both team face each other again tomorrow in Bakersfield at 7 p.m. PT. Press release from the Bakersfield Jam
The Santa Cruz Warriors defeated the Reno Bighorns in front of a sellout crowd at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday night. Ronald Roberts Jr. had an explosive night, notching 39 points and 19 rebounds after coming off the bench on Wednesday night to post 18 points and 7 rebounds in his first game as a Warrior against the D-Fenders. Ognjen Kuzmic, on assignment from the Golden State Warriors, recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Kiwi Gardner also posted a double-double, tallying 21 points and 10 assists. Reno was paced by forward Ra'Shad James who had 18 points and 9 rebounds. Durrell Summers added 16 points and 6 rebounds, while David Wear, Tajuan Porter, and Melvin Johnson, had 15 points apiece. Santa Cruz led by as many as 24 points in the first half and went into the break with an 81-64 advantage, passing the franchise record of 73 points for total first half points. The Warriors would continue to keep the Bighorns at a distance, leading by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter. Santa Cruz kept the edge on field goal percentage (56%-34%), rebounds (58-52), and assists (25-21). The Warriors tallied more points in the paint (90-48) and held the edge on second chance points (24-19). The Santa Cruz Warriors will face the Bakersfield Jam on Tuesday at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Fans can listen to the broadcast on the Santa Cruz Warriors flagship station, KION 1460AM/101.1FM, or catch the game on the NBA D-League's YouTube channel, via http://www.santacruzbasketball.com. Press release from the Santa Cruz Warriors
