Vander Leaves Oklahoma City Blue
March 26, 2015 - NBA G League (G League)
Los Angeles D-Fenders News Release
EL SEGUNDO - After 31 lead changes and three extra minutes of basketball, the D-Fenders topped the Oklahoma City Blue 106-105 tonight in El Segundo.
Los Angeles (15-31) was led by Vander Blue, who finished with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Jamaal Franklin recorded his second triple-double of the season with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Will Sheehey (15 pts), Roscoe Smith (15 points, eight rebounds), Jarvis Varnado (14 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks) and Andre Ingram (10 points) all finished in double-figures for the D-Fenders.
Frank Gaines (24 points, six assists) paced the Blue (25-21), while Dwight Buycks (21 points, seven assists) also reached the 20-point plateau. Semaj Christon (19 points, seven assists) and Maurice Sutton (13 points, 10 rebounds) also scored in double-digits for Oklahoma City.
The back-and-fourth battle started early, with the D-Fenders outscoring the Blue 23-19 in the first quarter behind six points from Varnado. Oklahoma City tallied 25 points in the second quarter, while L.A. tallied 24 behind nine points from Blue. At the half, the D-Fenders led 47-44.
The battle continued in the second half, as the Blue outscored the D-Fenders 26-25. Oklahoma City outscored the D-Fenders 27-25 in the fourth quarter, while Vander Blue tallied 10 points in the quarter, and a last-second shot forced overtime. Los Angeles tallied nine points in the overtime period, compared to eight for the Blue, pushing the D-Fenders to a one-point victory.
The D-Fenders shot .489, while the Blue finished at .413. Los Angeles tallied 50 points in the paint, compared to 40 for Oklahoma City. The contest finished with 31 lead changes and 16 ties.
The D-Fenders are home on Friday to face the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at 7:00pm PT.
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