Blue Coats Defeat Mad Ants in 2021 Season Opener
February 11, 2021 - NBA G League (G League)
Delaware Blue Coats News Release
ORLANDO - The Delaware Blue Coats (1-0), the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, started off their season with a win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (0-2), 124-119, on Thursday afternoon at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida. 76ers two-way contract players Rayjon Tucker (22 points) and Paul Reed (20 points) combined for 42 points in the victory, while Jared Brownridge paced all scorers with 28 points (9-19 FG, 4-10 3FG, 6-6 FT) off the Delaware bench. The Blue Coats assisted on 29 of their 40 made field goals.
Reed finished with a double-double in his Blue Coats debut by adding 10 rebounds in 32 minutes of action. The DePaul product got off to a hot start with a team-high 13 first-half points. Tucker added a G League career-high three blocks, including a timely rejection of Fort Wayne's Naz Mitrou-Long with 2:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Brownridge dished out six assists in addition to his big scoring effort. He also converted four free-throw attempts in the game's final 15 seconds to ultimately seal the victory. Delaware's Jemerrio Jones notched a double-double in his Blue Coats debut with 10 points (5-10 FG) and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Blue Coats got it going early in the second quarter, as the team opened the frame with a 13-0 run in the first four minutes to take a 35-23 lead. Delaware led 53-48 at halftime.
For the Mad Ants, Oshae Brissett came off the bench to post a double-double with a team-high-tying 21 points (6-11 FG, 4-4 FT) and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. Naz Mitrou-Long matched Brissett with 21 points (8-15 FG, 1-4 3FG, 3-3 FT) in 29 minutes of play. Like Brissett, rookie Rayshaun Hammonds also posted a double-double off the bench (12 points, 12 rebounds) in the loss.
NEXT UP: The Blue Coats will meet the Santa Cruz Warriors on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET. The Warriors are 0-1 after falling to NBA G League Ignite on Wednesday in the league's season-opening game. Santa Cruz features NBA veteran Jeremy Lin, who returns to the G League for the first time since 2012. The game can be seen locally on DETV Channel 28 and heard on Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM.
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