Slam upset by Dragons in Tijuana, 98-95
January 5, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Bellingham Slam News Release
TIJUANA, Mexico - Forward Gene Shipley's three-point play with 18 seconds left was the difference as the Bellingham Slam were upset by the Tijuana Dragons, 98-95, at the Municipal Auditorium in Tijuana, Mexico on Thursday. The Slam shot just 41 percent for the game and the 95 points scored were a season low for the team.
Fortunately for Bellingham, Tijuana also had a sub-par shooting night which made for a close and hard fought game. Bellingham scored just 14 points in the first quarter but battled back in the second as the teams were deadlocked at 48-all at halftime.
The Slam's struggles continued in the third quarter as Tijuana was able to post a seven-point lead halfway through the period before Bellingham rallied to trim the deficit to just two, at 75-73, going into the final quarter.
The two teams played very evenly for most of the fourth quarter before the Slam were finally able to take a two-point lead, at 93-91 on a Mike Parker lay-up with 1:48 remaining. After Tijuana was able to re-tie the game on the very next possession, Jacob Stevenson hit a tough jumper with 1:10 left to once again give the Slam a two-point advantage.
Shipley's converted free throw following his game-tying jumper turned out to be the winning point as the Slam turned the ball over with 10 seconds left and were unable to force the Dragons to the foul line as they only had 4 team fouls in the quarter. Guard Reynardo Curry added a lay-up as time expired for the game's final points.
Parker led all scored with 37 points and also chipped in 11 rebounds. Guard Jacob Stevenson added 16 points for the Slam.
Shipley finished the game for Tijuana with 20 points, but was edged for the team lead by forward Mike Jones' 22 points. The win was the first for the Dragons against the Slam in the lifetime series between the two teams. Bellingham still leads the series 6-1.
The Slam next travel to Sacramento on Friday to take on the Heatwave in the second game of a three-game road trip.
For more information call the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit www.bellinghamslam.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
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