66ers Fall Short in Season Opener
November 22, 2013 - NBA G League (G League)
Tulsa 66ers News Release
TULSA, OK - The Tulsa 66ers fell to the Iowa Energy, 127-117, in Tulsa's season opener Friday at the SpiritBank Event Center despite eight 66ers scoring in double digits.
Rodney Bartholomew and Mario Little led the 66ers with 22 points each - career highs for both veterans. Larry Owens, beginning his fourth season with the club, secured 10 rebounds alongside 10 points and seven assists.
Tulsa (0-1) jumped ahead of Iowa (1-0) by outscoring the Energy 69-54 in the first half. The 66ers' 69 points were the most scored in one half under head coach Darko Rajakovic, now in his second season.
Iowa fought back in the second half to outscore Tulsa 73-48 in the final two frames. The Energy outrebounded the 66ers 28-13 in the second half and 52-35 overall.
"[In the] first half, we had a really good start and a really good defense and for us, everything starts with good defense," said Rajakovic. "If we can get defensive stops, it's much easier to take good shots, and we were shooting pretty well."
"In the second half and the beginning of the third quarter we didn't have enough intensity. We didn't box out good enough and we finished the game with 17 rebounds less than they did. That was the key."
The 66ers forced 27 Energy turnovers, including 15 off of steals. On offense, Tulsa dished out 26 assists.
The 66ers and Energy face off again Saturday night at 7 p.m. inside the SpiritBank Event Center. For ticket information, visit Tulsa66ers.com.
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