George and Farmers lead 66ers past Toros
Published on March 28, 2006 under NBA G League (G League)
Tulsa 66ers News Release
TULSA, Okla., March 28, 2006 - Five Tulsa players scored in the double digits while one went for double-double as the 66ers defeated the Austin Toros 110-105 on Tuesday evening at Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa.
The victory was the third straight home win for the 66ers (19-23), which gives Tulsa the possibility for a fight for the fourth spot in the D-League playoffs.
One of the newest members of the 66ers, Brandon Bass, recently assigned to Tulsa by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, owned the paint for the 66ers scoring 16 points, pulling down five boards and adding two key blocks in his home opener for Tulsa.
"Brandon gives us something we have been missing," said Tulsa head coach Joey Meyer. "You can just see the talent and he will only get better as he learns our system."
Tulsa guard Desmon Farmer added the outside punch for Tulsa as he hit 8-of-12 from the field and finishing with 21 points and five rebounds.
The Toros came out cold, hitting only 15 percent from the field for the first five minutes, allowing the 66ers to jump out to an early 10-3 lead. It was a lead the 66ers would not give up for the rest of the contest. Tulsa shot a sizzling 54 percent from the field in the first half and used 20 points from their bench to extend the lead to 51-38 at the break.
Tulsa came out of the locker room and made a statement early, forcing Austin into a shot clock violation in their opening possession and quickly extending their lead to 20 at 70-50 with 5:34 to play in the third.
Toros high scorer, Marcus Fizer, who finished the night with the game high 36 points and 16 rebounds, put up a late fight in the third quarter using a 19-8 run to pull within nine points at 78-69.
The Toros would pull as close as three points (82-79) before Tulsa's Ersan Ilyasova, on assignment from the Milwaukee Bucks, put an end to it with a huge three at 9:25. The three-pointer quickly turned to a 7-0 run that gave the 66ers some much-needed breathing room heading down the stretch.
Austin took off one more time and tied the game for the first time on a layup by Andre Emmett, who finished with seven points and five rebounds.
Following the layup, Farmer hit one of two free throws and Bass stole an offensive rebound to put the lead at 103-100 in Tulsa's favor. Tulsa followed with a block of a shot attempted by Toro Scott Merritt which sealed the deal for Tulsa as they hung on for a 110-105 victory.
"I told the guys we were shooting for seven wins in a row and now we just need six more," said Meyer of his hunt for a playoff spot.
Five Tulsa players scored in the double digits, led by Otis George with 25 points, Farmer with 21, John Lucas for 15, and Bass for 16. Ilyasova hit a double-double tonight with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Ilyasova also added three key blocked shots.
Fizer poured in his 36 points for the Toros, and Ramel Curry and Omar Thomas both had 17 points. Derrick Zimmerman, named the NBA D-League Defensive Player of the Year today, led the team with six assists.
"For the second straight year, Derrick Zimmerman has proven that you can have a tremendous impact on the game at the defensive end of the floor," said NBA D-League Senior Director of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel Chris Alpert. "Our coaches recognize Derrick's hard work and ability to take over a game with his defensive prowess."
Austin finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field to Tulsa's 55 percent. The Toros outrebounded the 66ers 48-44. Austin was just 5-of-14 from the 3-point line compared to Tulsa's solid 9-of-15 from beyond the arch.
The 66ers will return to action on Thursday, March 30 as they begin a three-game road trip against the Arkansas Rimrockers at 7:30 p.m. at the Alltel Arena in Little Rock. Tulsa returns home on April 5 to face the Florida Flame with an 11:00 a.m. tipoff at the Expo Square Pavilion.
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