Tulsa's Fourth Quarter Defense Secures Road Win
Published on February 26, 2014 under NBA G League (G League)
Tulsa 66ers News Release
FRISCO, Texas, February 26, 2014 - After scoring over 140 points in a pair of wins last weekend, the Tulsa 66ers relied on their defense to beat the Texas Legends, 99-84, on Wednesday night at The Dr. Pepper Arena.
The 66ers outscored the Legends 13-2 in the game's final six minutes as Tulsa forced four turnovers and held Texas to 0-7 field goal shooting during the stretch. Tulsa forced 20 turnovers throughout the night, including 11 off of steals. The 66ers are leading the NBA D-League during the month of February with 11.3 steals and 19.7 forced turnovers.
Six Tulsa players scored in double figures to push the 66ers to their fourth-consecutive win. Reggie Williams (18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals), Mustafa Shakur (18 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals) and Mario Little (18 points, two rebounds, six assists, two steals) all led the game in scoring.
Rodney Bartholomew posted his 12th double-double of the season with 14 points and 16 rebounds while Grant Jerrett recorded 11 points and seven boards. Maurice Sutton added 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
The 66ers have seen balanced scoring throughout its four-game winning streak with five or more Tulsa players scoring in double figures in all four games. During that stretch, six players are averaging 13 or more points.
After a back-and-forth first half that featured 10 lead changes and eight times tied, Texas (15-22) maintained a 49-48 lead at halftime break. Bartholomew collected eight points and seven rebounds in the third quarter to help Tulsa (16-20) outscore the Legends 24-21 in the third to head into the fourth up by two.
The Legends retook the lead and held a 77-76 advantage with just over 10 minutes to play before the 66ers score eight straight to go up by seven. Texas pulled back within four on a Damion James three-pointer, but Tulsa would hold the Legends in the final six minutes to improve to 4-1 on the road during February. The 66ers forced eight turnovers in the final frame and held Texas to 4-16 shooting from the field.
Texas was led by James with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Tulsa will head to Des Moines, Iowa, to face the Iowa Energy on Friday in the 66ers fourth-straight road game before hosting the Rio Grande Valley Vipers at home on Saturday night.
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