G League Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Big Third Quarter Leads Vipers Past Energy in Game 2

Published on April 27, 2011 under NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release


DES MOINES, IOWA - After struggling in the third quarter and losing Game 1, and trailing 74-70 early in the third quarter of Game 2 of the best of three Finals, the defending NBA Development League champion and third-seeded Rio Grande Valley Vipers out scored the top-seeded Iowa Energy 34-to-10 over the next six and a half minutes to pull away and even up the best of three Finals with a 141-122 victory over the top-seeded Iowa Energy on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena.

The Vipers (5-2) and Energy (5-2) play a decisive Game 3 for the championship on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena. Vipers fans can watch the game together during a watch party at Pepper's at Uptown. The game will be televised on VERSUS, which can be found on Time Warner Cable channel 314 (SD)/1314 (HD), Dish Network channel 151 and DirecTV channel 603.

The Vipers are now 6-0 all-time in elimination games.

The Vipers ran their lead up to 104-84 with 29 seconds left in the third quarter, but Moses Ehambe scored six points to fuel an 11-2 run as the Energy closed with 106-95 with 10:44 remaining in the game. Richard Roby hit a pair of free throws to break the run, Jerel McNeal followed with a three-point play, and after Ehambe hit a jumper, Roby hit a three and Patrick Sullivan converted a three-point play to put the Vipers up 117-97 and put the game out of reach.

McNeal led the Vipers with 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Roby scored 28 points with five rebounds and three assists. Sullivan recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, as did Mouhammad Faye, with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Terrel Harris finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Curtis Stinson recorded his second-straight triple-double for the Energy with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Ehambe led the Energy in scoring with 33 points.

The Vipers jumped out to an 8-3 in the opening three minutes thanks in-part to a pair of baskets by Sullivan. The Energy came right back to tie the game at 10-10 and the lead fluctuated back and forth for the rest of the quarter, with neither team leading by more than three points.

The Vipers were within 31-29 after a Jon Scheyer lay-up in the opening seconds of the second quarter, but Shy Ely hit back-to-back threes to put the Energy up eight. The Vipers went on a 9-2 run to pull within 39-38 at the 8:40 mark. The Vipers trailed 45-43 when they hit five of their next eight three pointers to build a 62-51 lead with 3:12 remaining. The Energy scored the next nine points, including five points on two baskets by Ehambe, to pull within 63-60.

The Vipers trailed 74-70 after Ely made a three-pointer with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter, but the Vipers went on a 22-7 run over the next 2:38

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are the NBA Development League affiliate of the NBA Houston Rockets. The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA's official minor league and features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams. 63 former NBA Development League players were on 2009-10 NBA start-of-season rosters, amounting to almost 15 percent of NBA players, and the league continues to develop coaches, referees, and front office staff for the NBA and its teams. In fostering the league's connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA Development League Cares programs. The NBA Development League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout the season fans can watch all NBA Development League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.

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