Bighorns pull away late for victory

Published on February 11, 2011 under NBA G League (G League)
Reno Bighorns News Release


RENO, Nev.- Danny Green scored a game-high 28 points for Reno Friday night, and the Bighorns used a fourth-quarter surge to collect their sixth-straight win, 102-91, over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the Reno Events Center.

Fort Wayne (14-18) stayed within striking distance of Reno (21-12) for most of the evening, trailing by five after the first period and just three at the break. Ahead by five through three quarters, the Bighorns came alive in the fourth quarter to cruise to the 11-point victory.

Reno has not lost since Jan. 26, and with the win, the Bighorns improve to 14-3 on the season at home.

Reno's leading scorer, Marcus Landry, was sidelined in the early-going with an ankle injury. Landry logged just two points in four minutes, but the Bighorns rallied behind him and came away with a hard-fought victory.

"It's been an adjustment this whole season in a lot of areas," said Bighorns Head Coach Eric Musselman. "Different guys have stepped up, and tonight was no different."

Green shot 10-of-18 from the field and knocked down all six of his free-throw tries on the way to his highest scoring effort as a Bighorn. Donald Sloan added 15 points and nine assists, Anthony Richardson scored 18 and Patrick O'Bryant finished with 11 boards. Thomas Gardner made his Bighorns debut Friday, chipping-in 10 points off the bench.

The Bighorns hit 20-of-21 free-throw attempts on the night and outrebounded Fort Wayne, 48-45.

The Mad Ants were led by a pair of 21-point efforts by Darnell Lazare and Walker Russell, Jr. Fort Wayne shot 34.7 percent (33-of-95) from the field Friday night, marking the 16th-straight outing Reno has held its opponent below 50 percent from the floor. The Mad Ants shot 63.6 percent (21-of-33) from the free-throw line and 16 percent (4-of-25) from beyond the arc.

"I'm proud of our defense," Musselman said. "Fort Wayne is a team that can score the ball, and we held them to 34 percent. That was a big key for us."

Reno and Fort Wayne meet again on Saturday night in the Reno Events Center. One thousand fans will receive a free Bighorns cap on Saturday night, courtesy of Harrah's. Tip-time is set for 7 p.m. PST. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling (775) 284-2622 or visiting ticketmaster.com or the Silver Legacy box office.

Reno Bighorns group tickets and fan experience packages are on sale now by calling the Bighorns front office at (775) 284-2NBA or visiting RenoBighorns.com. Fans can high-five the players, play a game-before-the-game on the Bighorns court, perform a talent routine and more.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



NBA G League Stories from February 11, 2011


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.

OurSports Central