Iowa Energy at Grand Rapids Drive 7:00 p.m. Bakersfield Jam at Oklahoma City Blue 8:00 p.m. Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Reno Bighorns 10:00 p.m. Texas Legends at Santa Cruz Warriors 10:00 p.m.
The Iowa Energy (19-17) won 120-118 over the Grand Rapids Drive (17-19) Wednesday night at the Deltaplex Arena. The Energy were led by Memphis Grizzlies assignee Russ Smith with a game-high 38 points, five rebounds and two assists. Jarnell Stokes had a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds. Willie Reed also had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Kalin Lucas added 28 points. All five Energy starters scored in double digits. The Drive were led by Diante Garrett with 34 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. It was a fast paced, high scoring first half for Iowa and Grand Rapids. Russ Smith led the Energy with 18 points on seven of ten shooting in the first quarter. The Energy shot 58 percent from the field. The lead changed hands seven times as Grand Rapids took the lead at the end of the quarter, 41-38. It continued to be a close game in the second quarter. Larry Owens led the Energy with seven points. The Drive outscored the Energy 28-23 in the second quarter to take a 69-61 halftime lead. It was a strong third quarter for Smith and the Energy. Smith scored 13 points to help the Energy pull within four points as they outscored the Drive 24-20. The Energy came out ready to fight in the fourth quarter, quickly tying the game and taking the lead. Iowa would then lead for most of the fourth quarter before the Drive tied it at 115 with :52.6 left to play. Lucas was able to hit a couple of big free-throws in the closing seconds to help the Energy preserve the lead. A last second chance for Grand Rapids to tie the game was foiled with a steal from Larry Owens and the Energy would win 120-118. Iowa returns home Sunday, March 8 at 3pm against the Reno Bighorns for Faith and Family Night. Tickets are only $10.71 and include a hot dog, pop and popcorn. Iowa Energy 2014-2015 single game tickets are now on sale starting at just $8. Group tickets, Flex Packs and payment plans are available now. For more information, visit IowaNBA.com or contact the Energy at (515)-564-8550. For more information on the Energy, "like' the Iowa Energy on Facebook or follow on Twitter (@iowaenergy). Press release from the Iowa Energy
The Bakersfield Jam surged in the fourth quarter to knock off the Oklahoma City Blue 97-93 Wednesday night at the Cox Convention Center. Jerel McNeal led the way with a game-high 24 points to go along with six assists. Bakersfield raced out to a 9-0 lead to start the game, thanks in part to great ball movement. The lead would disappear later in the quarter as the Jam got cold from the field and ended the opening frame trailing 26-23. Both teams shot below 27 percent in the second quarter and struggled to get anything going offensively. The second half went back-and-forth as there were a total of nine ties and eight lead changes. With a 40-38 lead entering the third, the Jam got outscored 33-23 and went into the final frame down 71-63. In the fourth period, Bakersfield erased an eight-point deficit and outscored Oklahoma City 34-22 to earn a road victory. McNeal scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth. Joe Jackson tallied 19 points while Renaldo Major contributed 15 points and six rebounds off the bench for the Jam. Mac Koshwal recorded a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Casey Prather also finished in double-figures with 13 points. The Blue were led by Talib Zanna (23 points, 14 rebounds) and Frank Gaines (23 points). Semaj Christon added 15 points. The Jam will next travel to Austin for a match against the Spurs on Saturday, March 7 at 5:30 PM PT. Press release from the Bakersfield Jam
David Stockton's 44 points pushed the Bighorns past the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to take the "W" in Reno with a 158-152 win over the Vipers Wednesday night at the Reno Events Center. Stockton led the Bighorns with 44 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and eight steals. Ra'Shad James neted 33 points, four rebounds and six assists for the Bighorns while David Wear had 22 points, 15 rebound and four assists. Sim Bhullar finished the game with 18 points and seven blocked shots. Tony Bishop led the Vipers with 32 points and 16 rebounds. Jarvis Threatt had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. In the first quarter, Bhullar led the Bighorns going 4-6 from the field with 10 points and adding six rebounds and three assists. James netted seven in the quarter while Cameron Ayers and Wear had six points each. Wear tallied three rebounds in the first. The Bighorns shot 50.0% from the field in the second compared to the Vipers 46.4%. The Bighorns led the Vipers 42-35 at the end of the quarter. During the second quarter, James led the Bighorns with 13 points. Stockton notched five points and two rebounds. Wear has three points and two rebounds in the second. The Bighorns went into the locker room at the half trailing the Vipers 79-71. Bhullar went 6-9 from the field during the first half in play. Stockton led the Bighorns in the third quarter going 5-7 from the field, totaling 15 points in the quarter. Wear and James notched six points each in the quarter qhile James added three assists. Austin Witter had five points. During the final quarter of play, the Bighorns outscored the Vipers 42-25. Stockton lit up the court during the quarter netting 19 points and adding two rebounds and three assists. James and Wear tallied seven points each while Ayers totaled five points and three rebounds in the quarter. The Bighorns went 55.6% from the field in the quarter compared to the Vipers 45.5%. Press release from the Reno Bi9horns
The Santa Cruz Warriors defeated the Texas Legends in a 120-104 victory Wednesday night to improve to 25-13 on the season. Seven different Warriors scored in double-figures, marking the third loss Santa Cruz handed to the Legends this season. Santa Cruz was led by Darington Hobson, who saw his first start this season and recorded his second triple-double of his career. He finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Aaron Craft had 25 points, 4 assists, and a game-high of 6 steals. Mychel Thompson added 20 points and 6 assists, while Golden State Warriors assignment player Ognjen Kuzmic, recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. The Legends received a solid performance from Eric Griffin who scored 25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and had a game-high of 3 blocked shots. Jarrid Famous (15 points, 15 rebounds) and Mike James (19 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles for Texas. The first quarter was a back-and-forth of trading baskets, complete with 8 lead changes and 5 ties. Though the Warriors outshot the Legends (57%-44%), Eric Griffin boosted the Legends in the opening frame, remaining perfect from the field for 14 points to grab a 32-31 advantage. The teams would grapple with another tightly-contested second quarter, but the Legends would pull away behind Jarrid Famous's 10 second quarter points, giving Texas the 10-point lead heading into the break. The Warriors emerged from halftime sharpshooting their way to a lead they would never relinquish for the remainder of the game. Mychel Thompson scored 12 third quarter points, including four made three-pointers to give the Warriors the 5-point lead heading into the final frame. Aaron Craft and Taylor Griffin would grab 10 points apiece in the fourth quarter as the Warriors coasted to victory over the Legends. The win mark's Santa Cruz's sixth straight win, their longest streak of the season. The Santa Cruz Warriors will host the Idaho Stampede in a weekend double-header tipping off this Friday at 7:00 p.m. PST 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 www.santacruzbasketball.com. Press release from the Santa Cruz Warriors
