Tulsa finds shot in fourth to down Patriots
March 21, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Fayetteville Patriots News Release
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., March 21 - After trailing for almost all of the first three periods, the Tulsa 66ers exploded for 37 points in the fourth and put away a depleted Fayetteville Patriots squad, 120-106, in NBA Development League action at the Crown Coliseum Tuesday night. Fayetteville played without guards Mateen Cleaves and Darnell Miller because of foot injuries, and center Kevin Lyde missed his fourth game with a pulled calf muscle. The loss was the Patriots' first in eight home games this month, dropping them to 14-27. The 66ers improved to 18-23.
Fayetteville led most of the first half, with Kaniel Dickens and Alex Acker combining for 22 points, and stretched the advantage to as much as 11 with three minutes remaining. But Desmon Farmer fired off one of his five three-pointers to spark a quick rally and the Patriots were up just 54-48 at the break.
"That's what they do, they have a lot of guys that can shoot the three," said Patriots coach Mike Brown. "They apply a lot of pressure and because we were shorthanded, we had some guys handling the ball that couldn't handle that pressure."
Fayetteville opened the lead back up to double digits midway through the third, but a Farmer three-pointer ignited the 66ers again. In a span of just over three minutes, John Lucas III followed with a jumper, Otis George hit a layup and a pair of free throws, and Ersan Ilyasova scored eight from the paint to put Tulsa up by two.
Tulsa assistant coach Roy Rogers, filling in for head coach Joey Meyer whose father died last week, said the run was spurred by something he did during a crucial timeout rather than something he said.
"I called that timeout and I just looked at them in the huddle," he said. "I didn't say anything, I just looked at them. And they said We got it coach.' They knew they weren't playing well. They knew they weren't doing what we do well which is pressure, run and get the easy shot. We have the shooters."
The Patriots kept it close early in the fourth, but were never able to regain the lead. Bernard King scored 12 in the frame to hold off the Patriots comeback attempts.
"They went with four guards and that forced us to play to their pace," Brown said. "We have to play inside out. And we can't give up 72 points in a half like we did in the second half tonight. We won't win." Ilyasova led all scorers with 27. King had 18 and George and Farmer had 17 each.
Kevin Johnson led the Patriots with 20 points. Acker added 19 and Erik Daniels had 18.
The Patriots play their next three games on the road, starting with Thursday in Austin. They return to the Crown Coliseum on Friday, Mar. 31, against Albuquerque.
The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up to the NBA on 50 separate occasions. Ten (10) former D-League coaches, five athletic trainers, 11 referees and 30 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November of 2001.
Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions. For more information on the Patriots, visit fayettevillepatriots.com or call (910) 213-1000.
• Discuss this story on the NBA G League message board...
NBA G League Stories from March 21, 2006
- Fizer scores 44 points to snap eight-game losing streak - Austin Spurs
- Tulsa finds shot in fourth to down Patriots - Fayetteville Patriots
- Florida acquires McNeil - Florida Flame
- Fizer returns to Toros - Austin Spurs
- Dazzle Season Tickets On Sale Now - Roanoke Dazzle
- NBA D-League daily developments - G League
- RimRockers salute United States Air Force - Arkansas RimRockers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
