Second Half Reno Surge Drops D-Fenders
March 11, 2017 - NBA G League (G League)
Los Angeles D-Fenders News Release
EL SEGUNDO - The D-Fenders were defeated by the Reno Bighorns on Friday at the Toyota Events Center, 114-106. With the loss, L.A. has lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Los Angeles (29-12) was guided by Vander Blue's 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Meanwhile, a pair of D-Fenders tallied double-doubles in guard Josh Magette (15 points, 10 assists) and Lakers assignee Ivica Zubac (18 points, 11 rebounds). Forward DeJuan Blair was the team's only other double digit scorer, finishing the contest with 14 points.
Reno (14-26) had three players that scored at least 20 points on the evening, led by 27 points and six assists from David Stockton. Sacramento Kings assignee Georgios Papagiannis finished the game with 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Kendall Marshall registered 21 points and 10 assists. Overall, six Bighorns players scored in double figures.
After each team scored 29 points in the first quarter, the D-Fenders led by as many as 14 points in the second frame, led by 16 first-half points from Blue. Los Angeles would lead at the half, 59-47, after six lead changes and two ties in the first two quarters of the afternoon.
But Reno put together a third quarter that spelled disaster for the home team. The Bighorns opened the second half on a 20-6 run to take the lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the frame before ultimately outscoring the D-Fenders 33-20 in the third period. Reno guard Isaiah Cousins scored nine of his 13 points in the third to spark the comeback.
In the fourth, it remained a two-possession game until Reno completed a 7-0 run with 1:53 remaining.
The Bighorns controlled the second half, owning a 67-47 advantage in scoring. Stockton scored 21 of his 27 points in that span, while his team shot 60.9 percent from the field after the halftime break. The D-Fenders connected on just 45.7 percent of their shots after halftime and notched 10 of their 22 turnovers in the second half.
Los Angeles will be back on the court on Saturday, March 11, against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, with tipoff currently set for 6:30 p.m. at the Toyota Sports Center.
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