Colorado Takes Bite Out of Vipers with 75 Point Second Half
January 22, 2008 - NBA G League (G League)
Colorado 14ers News Release
DENVER - Jan. 21, 2008 - For the second straight night the Colorado 14ers used a huge second half rally to knock off the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, 112-108 at the Broomfield Event Center. After outscoring the Vipers 71-41 in the second half Sunday night, Colorado outran Rio Grande Valley 75-58 in the final two quarters on Monday to take the four point win. The 14ers improve to 13-9 on the season with the win, while the Vipers fall to 10-14 with the loss.
The Vipers once again shut down Colorado over the first 24 minutes, taking a 50-37 lead to the locker room at halftime. The 14ers came out firing in the third quarter, knocking down six of ten 3-pointers, and outscoring Rio Grande Valley 39-21 in the period. Kaniel Dickens connected on three of four shots from behind the arc, leading the charge with 14 points in the quarter. Eddie Gill added 12 of his 16 in the third while Colorado mounted the comeback.
"Fortunately we were good enough in the third quarter to set it right. Wins at home are very important and we had to make sure we finished this game," said 14ers Head Coach Joe Wolf. "Our veterans came out hard in the second half and really set the tone."
Colorado extended the lead to 15 points in the fourth quarter before Rio Grande Valley came battling back. Kris Collins scored 13 of his 22 points in the fourth, bringing the Vipers all the way back to tie the game at 103 with 1:07 to play. The 14ers then scored the next seven points behind a Dickens 3-point play with 19.0 seconds remaining before hanging on to win their fourth straight game.
Dickens led all scorers with 28 points on the night. Elton Brown also posted his league-leading 16th double-double of the season, with 22 points and 18 rebounds in the Colorado win. Gill added 16 points and 14 assists, and Billy Thomas scored a season-high 25 in the 14ers victory.
Kris Collins and Desmon Farmer tossed in 22 points apiece for Rio Grande Valley in the loss. The Vipers also saw forward Chris Taft leave the game in a wheelchair in the second quarter after injuring his right ankle.
Rio Grande Valley continues on the road Wednesday when they will take on the Albuquerque Thunderbirds at Tingley Coliseum. Colorado visits the Austin Toros on Wednesday at the Austin Convention Center.
NBA G League Stories from January 22, 2008
- Wizards Win 10th Straight At Home - Dakota Wizards
- 14ers Weekly Update - Colorado 14ers
- Dakota's Maurice Baker Named D-League.Com Performer of the Week - G League
- D-League Daily Developments - G League
- Colorado Takes Bite Out of Vipers with 75 Point Second Half - Colorado 14ers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
