The Rio Grande Valley Vipers (16-10) defeated the Oklahoma City Blue (20-8), 111-105, on a road win Tuesday night. Gary Payton ll nears a triple double and Dakarai Tucker drains 8 threes en route to a 33 point performance. The Cox Convention Center played host to tonight's contest between the Vipers and the OKC Blue in which both teams took turns claiming the lead early on. Following four lead changes in the first, Oklahoma City escaped with a slim 29-24 lead heading into the second. In the second quarter of action Oklahoma City took advantage of a few turnovers to pad their lead. A buzzer beater dagger from Abdul Gaddy sent the Blue into the locker room ahead by ten 63-53. Bruno Caboclo was able to drop 12 points in the half while Payton ll tallied 11 points along with 4 steals to help the Vipers on both ends of the court. Bryce Alford was the offensive power for the Blue with his 19 points at the break, he added on two assists. RGV adjusted at the half and came out on a mission as they struck for 38 points in the third quarter to turn the game around. With a convincing 91-79 lead heading into the fourth quarter the Vipers stunned the Blue who only offered up 16 points during the fast paced third, their lowest in the contest at this point. A cardiac fourth quarter offered up plenty of action as both teams traded blows to take this one to the wire. RGV was hoping to snap Oklahoma City's six game winning streak in villainous fashion as Tucker dominated on offense with a new season high 33 points, he hit 8 three-pointers tying his season high. Once the final buzzer went off the Blue found themselves on the losing end of a great matchup. Veteran forward for the Vipers, Chris Walker had an impressive new season high 16 rebounds in the contest to help boost his team on the road. Payton ll was solid for the Vipers in this one as his final stat line showed 20 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 steals. He locked in the double-double and was not far off from a triple-double. Alford ended the contest as the scoring leader for Oklahoma City with 28 points. KJ Daniels and Kevin Harvey contributed 14 points apiece for the Blue on the night as well. The Vipers make the trip back home to prepare for a matchup against the Memphis Hustle at Bert Ogden Arena on Friday January 18. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. For more information, contact the RGV Vipers at 956-56-ARENA or visit www.rgvipers.com. News Release
