G League Oklahoma City Blue

Blue Comes up Short against Warriors

Published on March 12, 2015 under NBA G League (G League)
Oklahoma City Blue News Release


OKLAHOMA CITY, March 12, 2015 - The Oklahoma City Blue came up short in the final minutes, falling to the Santa Cruz Warriors, 93-89, on Thursday.

The Blue pulled down 55 rebounds as the team featured three players with double-doubles. Dwight Buycks scored 18 points with 10 rebounds and five assists, Maurice Sutton posted 16 points and 12 boards and Talib Zanna had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Frank Gaines led the Blue's scoring efforts with 22 points off the bench to go with four rebounds and three dimes. Josh Huestis added 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

After a back-and-forth start to the first quarter that included five lead changes and seven times tied, the Blue went on a 15-0 run that stretched to the middle of the second frame. During the run, OKC's defense forced ten straight missed field goals by Santa Cruz. The Warriors cut the Blue's lead to single digits but the Blue took a 43-37 advantage into halftime.

Santa Cruz produced an 18-7 run in the early minutes of the third quarter to take a brief two-point lead before the Blue responded with a 12-4 run to close the quarter and enter the final frame up by eight. The Warriors tied the game with eight minutes remaining to cap a 13-2 run. Neither team led by more than three points for the next five minutes before Gaines used a fast-break driving dunk off of a steal to put the Blue up 87-82. Santa Cruz responded with a 10-0 run to put away Oklahoma City.

"We didn't get stops, first and foremost," said Blue Head Coach Mark Daigneault. "We didn't stay in the flow of our offense, keeping the ball moving and trusting the pass and trusting each other. I thought we got a little bit stagnant down the stretch. We have to maximize the talent we have on the floor."

The Blue (22-20) held the Warriors to 31.5 percent shooting from the field, including 4-of-21 from three-point range.

Santa Cruz (29-13) was led by Mychel Thompson with 28 points and eight rebounds.

Oklahoma City hits the hardwood again on Sunday at 6 p.m. against the Grand Rapids Drive at Chesapeake Energy Arena. For ticket information, visit OklahomaCityBlue.com.

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