Big Nights from Benson, White Keep Skyforce Perfect at Home
December 11, 2016 - NBA G League (G League)
Sioux Falls Skyforce News Release
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - As they've done all season, the Sioux Falls Skyforce's talented big men led the team to victory, this time against the Salt Lake City Stars, 97-88, to remain unbeaten at home.
Center Keith Benson posted his fifth-straight double-double and eighth overall with a monster line of 14 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. Power forward Okaro White scored 18 while grabbing 14 rebounds, his sixth double-double.
On a night where they couldn't find much of a rhythm early, the Skyforce (9-3) relied heavily on its defense to keep them in the game. The Skyforce were ice-cold on offense to open the game, missing 14 of their first 16 shots.
But Sioux Falls held Salt Lake City (2-10) to just 28 percent shooting in the first quarter, and the Stars led 17-14 after one.
The Skyforce offense began to wake up in the second quarter, and after trailing by as many as nine, a 13-7 Sioux Falls run tied the game at 44 by halftime.
Everything clicked in the third quarter. The Skyforce forced six turnovers and denied four shots in the frame, holding the Stars to just 21 percent from the floor. That momentum carried to the other end as Sioux Falls shot 41 percent, pushing its lead to as many as 11 after a Malik Beasley 3-pointer with 1:21 left in the frame.
Salt Lake City wasn't going to go away easily, though. The Stars chipped away and whittled the Skyforce lead to 78-74 with 7:30 left in the game. That's when Sioux Falls finally turned it on and put the game away for good.
Henry Walker drilled a pair of 3-pointers and a layup by Marcus Posley gave Sioux Falls some breathing room, and a thunderous dunk from White in transition pushed the Skyforce lead back to double digits at 88-78 with 4:51 left, forcing Salt Lake City to call a timeout.
The game never got much closer, with Sioux Falls pushing its lead to as many as 16 with just over a minute left.
Posley led Sioux Falls in scoring with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Denver Nuggets assignee Malik Beasley scored 15 points and grabbed nine boards for the Skyforce.
The Stars' pair of assignees, DeAndre' Bembry (Atlanta Hawks) and Joel Bolomboy (Utah Jazz) had big days, with Bolomboy scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while Bembry had 19 points and six boards.
Sioux Falls hosts the Austin Spurs (4-7) Friday at 7 p.m.
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NBA G League Stories from December 11, 2016
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