Vipers Lose Third Straight; Fall to Wizards 133-123
Published on December 22, 2007 under NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release
Bismark, ND: The Rio Grande Valley Vipers lost their third straight game and fourth in five games on Saturday night as they fell 133-123 to the defending NBA Development League Champion Dakota Wizards at the Bismarck Civic Center. The Vipers were still without forward Kevin Bookout who is still out with a shoulder injury.
The Vipers fell behind by as many as 25 points in the first half after a furious first quarter by the Dakota Wizards in which they outscored the Vipers 38-16. The Vipers did not let up despite being down as they scored the Wizards 42-31 in the second to cut the halftime defecit to 11 at 69-58. The Vipers would cut the Wizards lead down to six points in the third quarter, but Dakota's three-point shooters kept Vipers at bay.
"There aren't many teams in the world that would fight back after what happened to us in the 1st quarter," Vipers Head Coach Bob Hoffman said. "We didn't quit and that's whats important."
Dakota shot 52 percent from the field and made 11 3-pointers in the game. The dynamic duo of David Palmer and Blake Ahearn went a combined 10-19 from three point range for 18 and 23 points respectively. Carlos Powell led all scorers with 35 points and was just two rebounds shy of a triple double as he added 10 assists. Mo Baker also added a double-double for the Wizards with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
The Vipers were paced by CJ Watson's 32 points and a season high 15 assists and missed a triple-double by one rebound. Kenny Taylor was red-hot from three point land for Rio Grande Valley as he scored 29 points including eight three-pointers on 13 attempts.
The Vipers will continue their eight game road swing in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on Friday when the face the Mad Antz. Tip Off is scheduled for 6:30 PM.
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