Flyers Fall to Thunderbirds in Regular Season Finale

Published on April 9, 2006 under NBA G League (G League)
Fort Worth Flyers News Release


FORT WORTH, Texas, April 9, 2006 - The Fort Worth Flyers ended the regular season with a 100-88 loss to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Sunday afternoon.

In a matchup that could have potentially been a preview of the championship game of the 2006 NBA Development League Championship presented by Delta Air Lines (the Flyers and the Thunderbirds hold the top two seeds in the playoffs and will each host semi-final games next weekend), the Flyers came up short in an intense battle.

"We have lost players recently that have provided solid scoring, defense, and veteran leadership, so our team is very young now and this has had a great effect on us," said Flyers head coach Sam Vincent.

The game proved to be a close contest in the first period as both teams traded baskets and played solid defense. However, in the second quarter the Thunderbirds offense took off, going on a ten point run in the middle of the period to take a 39-31 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the half. However, the Flyers came back to life, and Deji Akindele and Keith Langford hit two big baskets in the final seconds of the second quarter to give the Flyers a 43-39 halftime advantage.

In the second half Albuquerque again sought to take control of the game. The Flyers could not seem to find an answer for the hot shooting of Andreas Glyniadakis and Tierre Brown, and Albuquerque built another solid lead late in the third quarter, leading 73-65 at the end of the period. The Flyers continued to fight, and after a seven point run by Anthony Terrell early in the fourth quarter, Fort Worth seemed ready to make a comeback. However, Brown erupted for 15 points in the period, hitting several tough shots down the stretch, and the Thunderbirds seized control of the game and emerged victorious.

Terrell led the Flyers with 20 points. Aaron Miles finished with 14 points and 6 assists, and Kelenna Azubuike also had 14 points in addition to 8 rebounds. Akindele added 13 points and 6 rebounds.

Brown led Albuquerque with 30 points, and Glyniadakis had the only double-double of the game, scoring 26 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Brandon Robinson added 14 points, Darren Brooks contributed 12 points and T.J. Cummings chipped in with 10 points.

The regular season champions, Fort Worth ends the season with a 28-20 record, and Albuquerque concludes the season at 26-22. The Flyers will host the Roanoke Dazzle and the Thunderbirds will host the Florida Flame next Saturday, April 15 in the D-League Championship Semi-Finals.

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