Tulsa finally gets victory over Roanoke
March 9, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Tulsa 66ers News Release
TULSA, Okla., March 9, 2006 - The Tulsa 66ers outscored the Roanoke Dazzle with a record-breaking 139-108 victory Thursday night at the Expo Square Pavilion. The 66ers have scored the most points in a regulation game since the D-league's inception in 2001.
"Now we've finally beat everyone," said Tulsa 66ers head coach Joey Meyer.
Until tonight's contest, Roanoke was the only team Tulsa has not been able to score a win with.
The Roanoke Dazzle scored the first two points of the game but would never lead again as the 66ers controlled much of the rest of the game leading by 21 points at halftime 68-47, and 39 points after three quarters 113-74.
The 66ers got off to a quick start in the first quarter, outscoring the Dazzle 28-24 after Tulsa guard John Lucas and forward Otis George combined for 12 points and Ersan Ilyasova, on assignment from the Milwaukee Bucks, grabbed 4 rebounds. The 66ers increased their lead midway through the second period to 10 (45-35) and the lead was never again taken over by the Dazzle. The 66ers came out strong again in the second half and built a 39-point lead by the end of the third quarter. The Dazzle made a late run fueled by 13 points and five key assists by Ronoke's Malik Moore to narrow the 66ers' lead and bring the score to 116-87 in the fourth. However, the Dazzle's rally came up short as the defense committed several late fouls to preserve the win for the 66ers.
The entire contest proved to be a physical battle as the teams combined for 73 free throw attempts. The Dazzle shot 64 percent from the line and the 66ers shot a solid 77 percent.
Tulsa guard Will Conroy lent a healthy 16 assists, taking the team to a total of 36 assists for the night.
"When we share the ball like that, we're a hard team to play," said Meyer. "We attacked the basket and when you play as hard as we did, only a win is acceptable."
Seven Tulsa players scored in the double digits, led by Desmon Farmer with 26 points, and Lucas followed closely with 25 points. Eddie Basden (16), George (13), and Quemont Greer (10) also reached double figures. Two 66ers picked up a double-double with Ilyasova scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, followed by Conroy shooting 10 points and an outstanding 16 assists.
Anthony Grundy poured in 18 points for the Dazzle, and Isiah Victor had 16 points and 4 rebounds. Will Bynum, the D-league's top scorer averaging 24.3 ppg, was ejected at the end of the third quarter with only four points to his name for the night, but carried 9 assists for Roanoke.
Roanoke finished the game shooting 51 percent from the field to Tulsa's 55 percent. Roanoke outrebounded the 66ers 48-39. The Dazzle was just 5-of-15 from the 3-point line compared to Tulsa's solid 15-of-25 from beyond the arch.
The win moves the 66ers' record to 16-20 and drops the Dazzle to 19-19.
The Tulsa 66ers will play their next five games on the road starting in Fort Worth on Saturday, March 11, with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
"We go to Ft. Worth and play the best team two times in a row. We have to change the way we've played on the road (5-11)," said Meyer. "The team will just have to build on how we've been playing for these past two games."
NBA G League Stories from March 9, 2006
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