Tulsa falls short to Austin in last second of overtime

Published on March 14, 2009 under NBA G League (G League)
Tulsa 66ers News Release


Tulsa, Okla., Mar. 13, 2009 - Dwayne Jones led the Austin Toros to a 111-108 overtime win over the Tulsa 66ers on Friday with season-highs of 33 points and 23 rebounds at the SpiritBank Event Center.

With 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime, the 66ers' Moses Ehambe attempted a three-pointer that rolled around the rim and out, after DerMarr Johnson hit two free throws for the margin of victory for Austin. Tulsa shot 4-for-10 in overtime, while the Toros shot 4-for-8 and hit all four free throw attempts in the period.

"We played pretty good basketball, other than giving up second chance opportunities," 66ers Head Coach Paul Woolpert said. "That was the difference in the game."

The Toros outmatched the 66ers on the boards 51-38, with 27 second chance points compared to eight for Tulsa.

Tulsa built as much as a nine-point lead near the end of the first quarter, as both Ehambe and Herbert Hill led the 66ers with 10 points each in the period. Both teams shot well from the field in the quarter, with Tulsa outgunning Austin 60 percent to 55 percent in the quarter. Marcus Williams led all scorers after the first quarter with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Austin went on a 7-0 run early in the second quarter to tie the game at 31 after a Johnson dunk, then a three-pointer with 9:08 remaining until halftime. Both teams exchanged small leads as the Toros outscored the 66ers 27-17 in the quarter, taking a 49-46 advantage into the half.

At the 8:31 mark in the third quarter, the 66ers managed a 7-0 run of their own, with Gary Forbes scoring on three layups to give Tulsa a 60-54 edge. Austin cut the lead back to one on a Stanley Burrell jumper, but Forbes continued to get looks close to the basket and Tulsa pushed the lead back to six with 4:10 remaining in the quarter. Austin put together an 8-2 run at the end of the period, as the teams went into the fourth all tied up at 72.

Jones scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in the fourth quarter for Austin.

Tulsa dished out 30 assists, led by Shaun Livingston's 10, on 43 made field goals for the game.

Led by Jones, Austin finished with five players scoring in double figures. Williams finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, while Johnson added 18 points off the bench. DeMarcus Nelson contributed 15 points and nine rebounds, and Burrell chipped in 13 points and seven assists for the Toros.

Tulsa also finished with five players in double figures. Forbes finished with a team-high 22 points and snagged eight rebounds, while Keith Clark put up 20 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out five assists. Ehambe shot 6-of-10 from the field en route to his 18 points off the bench, while Hill added 17 points and three blocks, and Yemi Ogunoye finished with 11.

Austin (26-13) continues with their second of a six-game road trip on Wed., March 18 at Erie, before heading to Fort Wayne the next night.

Tulsa (8-30) travels to Albuquerque for a two-game set against the Thunderbirds on Sun., March 15 and Tues., March 17, before finishing out the road trip at Colorado on Wed., March 18.

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