Vipers Take Home Opener From 66ers
December 4, 2009 - NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release
HIDALGO, TEXAS - Mike Harris tied his career-high with 30 points to lead the Rio Grande Valley Vipers past the Tulsa 66ers. 104-100. during the home opener tonight at Dodge Arena.
Harris hit 13 of his 18 shots and added six rebounds as well.
The Vipers (2-1) outscored the 66ers 28-17 in the third quarter as Jonathan Wallace, Adidas Player of the Game Mike Harris, Garrett Temple (two) and Ernest Scott all connected from downtown. The Vipers lead, which was 52-49 entering the quarter, ballooned to 80-67.
Moses Ehambe tried to bring the 66ers (2-3) back, hitting a pair of three-pointers to cut the Vipers' lead to 84-77 with 9:49 remaining, but after the Vipers used a timeout and a Mustafa Shakur basket, Mike Harris hit a long two-pointer to break a 12-4 run. Still, the 66ers kept coming, getting within 90-87 after Shakur hit a layup with 4:55 to go, but 24 seconds later Dorsey hit a pair of free throws and Antonio Anderson went coast-to-coast for a lay-up to make it 94-87 with 4:08 remaining. Moses Ehambe hit a jumper 30 seconds later, and, after a turnover, Oklahoma City Thunder-assignee Byron Mullens hit a jumper to make it 94-91. Larry Owens hit a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game and then, with 2:09 left, Mullens hit the second of two free throws to tie the game 94-94. Wallace gave the Vipers the lead back with a pair of free throws and Harris hit lay-up and a free throw to make it 99-94 with 1:11 to play. 11 seconds later, though, Owens hit a three-pointer to make it a one-possession game again, but that is as close as Tulsa got the rest of the way.
Dorsey set a new career-high with five assists while chipping in with nine point, 12 rebounds (five offensive), and three blocked shots. Anderson had 16 points, six rebounds and nine assists, Wallace scored 14 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists while Temple added 14 points as well. Kurt Looby added five blocks and eight rebounds.
Shakur led the 66ers with 24 points to go with ten assists four steals and four rebounds while Mullens also recorded a double-double with 23 points and ten rebounds.
The Vipers and 66ers play the back-end of this home-and-home series tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at the Tulsa Convention Center at 7:30 p.m.
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