
Flame Hold Off 66ers To Earn Fifth Straight Win
January 18, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release
ESTERO, Fla., January 18 - After losing Dorell Wright and Earl Barron to an NBA recall from the Miami HEAT on Wednesday, the Florida Flame used a depleted roster to upend the Tulsa 66ers 106-99 at Germain Arena.
Both teams were shorthanded coming in, as Florida and Tulsa went with eight players apiece for their first meeting of the season. But it was the Flame who responded, as six players scored in double figures for Florida, led by a game-high 25 points from point guard Andre Barrett.
The win was the fifth in a row for the Flame (14-7) who outrebounded the 66ers 53-35 in the contest. The loss was the second in the last three games for Tulsa (10-12) who split their two games at the MLK Showcase against Albuquerque and Fort Worth.
"I must admit, I am proud of how the guys responded tonight after hearing the news about Dorell and Earl being recalled," said Florida Head Coach Jeff Malone. "I was impressed by the way we played and how we were able to spread the ball around. Andre was certainly the catalyst behind that."
Leading 74-67 after three quarters, the Flame got lay-ups from E.J. Rowland and Theron Smith along with a Barrett 20-foot jumper to open the fourth period on a 9-2 run and build their advantage to 83-69 with 9:09 left. The 66ers responded behind the three-point shooting of Desmon Farmer, who connected for a trio of treys in a 16-4 run over the next 3:57 that pulled Tulsa within two points, at 87-85 with 5:12 remaining.
After the two teams traded baskets over the next 2:27, Barrett connected for his biggest basket of the night, hitting a 17-foot jumper to give Florida a 95-90 lead at the 2:28 mark. Following a Torraye Braggs turnover on the 66ers offensive end, Smith knocked down a short jumper to build the lead to seven and Barrett put the game out of reach with a three-ball that upped the Florida advantage to 102-92 with 1:11 left.
Along with Barrett's 25 points, Smith poured in 20 points, and Rowland notched a season-high 15 coming off the bench for the Flame. Austin Nichols tallied 14 points and Dwayne Jones recorded his second consecutive and eighth double-double overall with 14 points and 19 rebounds. Hiram Fuller rounded out the double figure scorers with his ninth double-double, totaling 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The 66ers had six players in double figures. Braggs and Will Conroy both posted double-doubles, as Braggs hit for 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Conroy collected 17 points and 15 rebounds. Farmer and Bernard King connected for 16 points apiece, while Cezary Trybankski and Seamus Boxley had 11 points apiece in the loss.
The Flame and 66ers will return to action tomorrow night with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Germain Arena.
For additional information, please visit floridaflame.com or contact Florida Flame Director of Media Relations, Tim Becwar at (239) 561-8130 and tbecwar@floridaflame.com. For additional information on the NBA Development League please visit NBADLEAGUE.com.
NBA G League Stories from January 18, 2006
- Flame Hold Off 66ers To Earn Fifth Straight Win - Florida Flame
- Houston Signs Lucas to Second 10-Day Contract - Tulsa 66ers
- Sow Recalled From RimRockers Of The NBA D-League - Arkansas RimRockers
- Roanoke Players Set to Dazzle Rescue Mission - Roanoke Dazzle
- Hayes Rockets Forth With Ten-Day Contract - New Mexico Thunderbirds
- Heat Call Up Wright, Barron - Florida Flame
- T-Birds Wave Hello to Johnson, Waive Orr - New Mexico Thunderbirds
- NBA D-League Daily Developments - G League
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.
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