Flash defeat Thunderbirds down the stretch
February 19, 2010 - NBA G League (G League)
Utah Flash News Release
OREM, Utah, February 19, 2010 - The Utah Flash won the battle at the free throw line down the stretch to beat the Albuquerque Thunderbirds 98-93 Friday night at the McKay Events Center.
"I was real excited about our mental focus and our ability to play as a team tonight," said Flash Head Coach Brad Jones. "Orien Greene gave us a huge lift in the second half and has been playing terrific basketball offensively and defensively. Even when things weren't going our way tonight we stayed focused and got a big win."
The Albuquerque Thunderbirds jumped out to an early 7-0 lead to start the game and led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter. Bennet Davis' eight first-quarter points helped trim the deficit for the Flash, however, at the end of the quarter they trailed 29-21. Keith McLeod's seven points off the bench led the way for the Thunderbirds.
The Flash started the second quarter on an 8-2 run and took their first lead of the game midway through the quarter on a Gabe Pruitt three pointer. They ended the quarter down three points with the halftime score 50-47. Davis finished the half with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Flash while Carlos Powell scored 14 first-half points for the Thunderbirds.
Albuquerque started the third quarter on an 8-0 run which was then countered by an 11-2 run from Utah. Both teams traded baskets throughout the quarter and the Flash took a 76-70 lead into the fourth quarter. Greene scored 15 points of his game-high 24 points in the third quarter for the Flash while Shane Edwards scored nine third quarter points for the Thunderbirds.
An intense fourth quarter came down to critical free throw shooting for both teams. Utah was able to capitalize on late free throws and the Flash came away with an important victory to snap a three-game losing streak. Greene finished the night with 24 points and Bennet Davis tallied 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Flash. The Thunderbirds were led by Keith McLeod's 23 points and Carlos Powell's 22 points.
Utah will play host again tomorrow night, this time against the Iowa Energy. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at the McKay Events Center.
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