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G League Oklahoma City Blue

Blue Halts Vipers in 116-109 Win

March 8, 2015 - NBA G League (G League)
Oklahoma City Blue News Release


OKLAHOMA CITY, March 8, 2015 - The Oklahoma City Blue held off the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to claim a 116-109 win at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday.

Frank Gaines was one of six Blue players to score in double figures, tallying a season-high 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Dwight Buycks scored 22 points alongside five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Maurice Sutton recorded a career-best five blocked shots while scoring 13 points and pulling down 12 boards. Talib Zanna posted 15 points and nine rebounds and Chris Singleton scored 13 points with eight rebounds off the bench.

The Blue led by as many as 11 in the opening quarter before the Vipers went on a 9-0 run to close the period, cutting OKC's lead to 27-25. Gaines scored 12 points in the second frame but another late-corner run by Rio Grande Valley put the Vipers up 58-52 at halftime.

RGV led for the entire third quarter, owning an 84-81 lead entering the fourth. The Blue went on a 19-5 run in the early fourth quarter to re-take the lead and go up 102-93. The Vipers fought back to bring the Blue's lead to three with 1:51 on the clock, but Oklahoma City's defense stepped up in the final moments, holding the Vipers to one point, 0-for-3 shooting and a pair of turnovers in the last 90 seconds.

"We were in the right spots on defense and dictated what we wanted them to do," said Blue Head Coach Mark Daigneault on the game's final minutes. "When you do that, the percentages play out. They missed some shots and turned it over. Sometimes you get into situations where you're not in your spot and you let them dictate the game. You want to be in your spot and your coverage and force them to play on your terms. I thought we did that down the stretch."

Oklahoma City (22-18) grabbed 52 rebounds and forced 21 Viper turnovers.

Rio Grande Valley (21-18) was led by Houston Rockets assignee Clint Capela with 23 points and nine rebounds.

The Blue returns to Chesapeake Energy Arena on Tuesday for an 11 a.m. matchup with the Santa Cruz Warriors. The early start will accommodate thousands of school students from across the state of Oklahoma. For ticket information, visit OklahomaCityBlue.com.

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