G League Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Vipers dominate Tulsa 124-101 for third straight win

Published on March 8, 2009 under NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release


The Rio Grande Valley Vipers won their third consecutive game for the first time this season and for just the fourth time in franchise history as they knocked off the Tulsa 66ers 124-101 Sunday afternoon at the Spiritbank Event Center. The Vipers finished the season undefeated in the 66ers home building with a 4-0 mark and set a new team record for road wins with their sixth of the year. The loss for Tulsa was their ninth straight.

The Vipers grabbed their first lead at the 11:00 mark of the first quarter after a Trent Strickland jumper in the paint that made the score 4-2. The Vipers would never surrender the lead for the remainder of the game. Strickland would go on to score the Vipers first 14 points as part of a 17-4 run after Tulsa's first basket. The Vipers led 32-19 after the first quarter and 59-49 after the first half.

The Vipers continued their offensive onslaught into the fourth quarter. A Jeff Trepagnier three-point hoop with 4:02 remaining capped off a 15-4 run that gave RGV their largest lead of the game at 117-87. The Vipers second unit played the entire fourth quarter and outscored Tulsa's bench 64-40 for the game.

Strickland's 24 points was the game high and he scored them by playing just 25 minutes. Four Viper reserves scored in double figures led by Trepagnier's 16 points. Ernest Scott nailed three three-point baskets and scored 15 points. Quin Humphrey and Craig Winder scored 13 and 12 points respectively. Kurt Looby had a fine defensive game blocking five shots and hauling in a game-high 14 rebounds. It is Lobby's third straight game and seventh of the season where he swatted away five or more shots. Moses Ehambe scored a team high 22-points off the bench to lead four double-digit scorers for Tulsa. Keith Clark had the game's only double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds

The Vipers will continue their six game road trip on Tuesday night when they travel to Broomfield, Colorado to face the Southwest Division leading Colorado 14ers. The Vipers have never won on Colorado's home floor and have just one win in team history. The Vipers will play two games in three nights against the 14ers on Tuesday and Thursday. Both games are scheduled to tip at 8:00 pm CT.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are a professional basketball team in the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA's official minor league and features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams. The league has produced 15 percent of the players on 2007-08 end-of-season NBA rosters and continues to develop current NBA coaches and referees. In fostering the league's connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote youth basketball, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout this season fans can watch all NBA D-League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast. The Vipers NBA affiliates are the Houston Rockets, and the New Orleans Hornets.

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NBA G League Stories from March 8, 2009


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