Slam Survive Second Round Playoff Scare, Defeat Tacoma 116-111
Published on July 2, 2009 under International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
MONROE, Wash. - Jacob Stevenson scored the go-ahead points with 1:16 left as the Bellingham Slam rallied to defeat the Tacoma Tide, 116-111, in second round International Basketball League playoff action at the Monroe Sports Arena on Thursday afternoon.
The Slam appeared to be cruising to another IBL playoff victory as they rode hot perimeter shooting to take an 11-point halftime lead, at 63-52. Paul Hafford picked up where he left off in last year's playoffs, connecting on 5-of-7 three-pointers en route to 19 first half points.
But Tacoma came back strong to start the third quarter, limiting the Slam to just six points in the period's first six minutes. The Tide's stellar defense allowed them to quickly erase the Slam's advantage and take a two-point lead, at 72-71 with 3:37 left in the quarter. But the Slam hung tough after that, and managed to go into the fourth quarter trailing 87-85.
A Ryan Diggs three-pointer to open the fourth quarter allowed the Slam to quickly re-establish their lead, but it was short lived as the Tide scored 14 of the next 19 points to go up by eight, at 101-93, with 7:08 left.
The Slam responded by scoring ten straight points, five off the hands of Tyler Amaya. That run put Bellingham ahead by two, at 103-101, with under five minutes to play. Down the stretch, Tacoma was able to tie up the game on four occasions, but the Slam responded each time with clutch baskets.
Bellingham took the lead for good on back-to-back layups by Jacob Stevenson with under 90 seconds left, then used solid free throw shooting to close out the victory.
The Slam were led in scoring by Stevenson, who scored 29. Amaya contributed a triple-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Hafford finished with 23 points.
Tacoma's Dontay Harris led all scorers with 40 points on 18-for-28 shooting. Antwan Williams added 18 points and game-high 14 assists. Tacoma finishes their season with a 14-8 record.
The Slam advance to the American Conference final on Friday afternoon, and will face the Los Angeles Lightning, who defeated the Seattle Mountaineers, 128-126, in second-round action on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Monroe Sports Arena. A live audio broadcast of the game will be available through the Lightning's website at www.lalightning.net.
For more information, contact the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.
International Basketball League Stories from July 2, 2009
- Waves Win Against the Volcanoes 121-104 - IBL
- Slam Survive Second Round Playoff Scare, Defeat Tacoma 116-111 - Bellingham Slam
- Explosion Win... First Round is over and now we are set to matchup against #1 Seeded Edmonton - Snohomish County Explosion
- Explosion Advance to Second Round of the IBL Playoffs - Snohomish County Explosion
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