Teamwork Leads Tulsa to 111-87 Win
February 18, 2014 - NBA G League (G League)
Tulsa 66ers News Release
TULSA, Okla., February 18, 2014 - Andre Roberson tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and two assists as the Tulsa 66ers defeated the Sioux Falls Skyforce, 111-87, at the SpiritBank Event Center. Roberson, on assignment from the Oklahoma City Thunder, has collected a double-double in seven of his past nine games with Tulsa, including the past five consecutive contests.
Mustafa Shakur scored a game-high 20 points with five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Grant Jerrett posted 19 points and nine rebounds and Mario Little collected 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. Rodney Bartholomew added 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals off the bench.
Five 66ers scored 13 or more points while the Tulsa defense held Sioux Falls to 36.1 percent shooting. The 66ers outrebounded the Skyforce 57-42 to help push Tulsa to its largest margin of victory this season. Tulsa is now 5-1 when holding its opponents to 90 points or less.
"Tonight was a great example of teamwork," said Tulsa Head Coach Darko Rajakovic. "Every time that our guys break a huddle we say 'family'. Well we played like a family tonight. We didn't have selfish plays, we moved the ball around and we finished with 24 assists. That's something that we want to continue to build off of."
Sioux Falls (19-13) took an early 5-4 lead before Tulsa (13-20) responded with an 18-3 run to go up 22-8. The 66ers forced eight first-quarter turnovers and held Sioux Falls to seven rebounds to lead 30-17 after the opening quarter.
Tulsa took a 49-36 lead to halftime after both teams scored 19 in the second quarter. The Skyforce was held to zero second-chance points and three offensive rebounds in the first half.
The 66ers opened up the second half with a 25-12 run in the third quarter's first six and a half minutes. Tulsa outscored Sioux Falls 36-26 before finishing the game with a 26-25 advantage in the fourth.
Tulsa swiped 15 steals and forced 24 turnovers by a Sioux Falls team that averages 15.7 a game.
Sioux Falls was led by Tajuan Porter's 18 points, three rebounds and four assists.
The 66ers, who have won four consecutive at the SpiritBank Event Center, head out on a four-game road stretch beginning Friday night against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Rajakovic hopes that Tulsa can build upon Tuesday's win as they transition into the second half of the season.
"I think that our team is growing a lot," said Rajakovic. "During the start of the season we lost a lot of games by two or three or four points. We're beginning to learn what the important moments of the game are and when we need to keep our foot on the pedal."
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