66ers Break Through Armor for 4th Straight Win
TULSA, Okla., February 25, 2010 – Utilizing four players scoring more than 20 points in the contest, the Tulsa 66ers came away with their fourth straight victory, defeating the Springfield Armor 107-101 Thursday at the Tulsa Convention Center. Forward Larry Owens nearly finished with a triple-double, compiling 21 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in the game for Tulsa.
The 66ers battled their way through the first quarter, shooting 8-for-24 from the field. But with the Armor up by four at 17-13 with 3:29 remaining in the period, Owens scored two of his 11 first quarter points on a lay up, and Moses Ehambe scored the final eight points for Tulsa in the period, taking a 23-22 lead at the break. The 66ers forced eight turnovers in the first quarter by the Armor to just two for Tulsa. Tony Bobbitt scored six points in the quarter, as the Armor shot 47.4 percent (9-19).
A 6-2 run by the 66ers started off the second quarter, pushing their lead to 29-24 with 9:52 remaining in the half after a Deron Washington jumper from the right wing. Three Tulsa turnovers helped to spark an 11-5 run by the Armor, giving them a 35-34 edge with 5:04 left following a Justin Hawkins jumper. But Mustafa Shakur subsequently sparked a 13-4 run by the 66ers by hitting a three-pointer on the next possession, as he scored seven of his nine second quarter points in the final 4:41 of the half. The 66ers managed to take 47-41 advantage into halftime after shooting 9-for-20 in the period. The Armor were led by Hawkins with seven points in the quarter, as they shot 8-for 18.
The Armor came out of halftime with a 6-0 run that tied the game at 47 after two three-pointers in the first 30 seconds of the second half by JamesOn Curry and Kyle McAlarney. With the teams trading baskets and tied at 51, McAlarney turned the ball over and the 66ers finished with a big-time dunk by Deron Washington to go ahead by two with 9:44 remaining in the game. Bobbitt hit a three to give the Armor a 54-53 edge with 9:24 left, but two jumpers by Owens sparked a 28-5 run by the 66ers that saw four three-pointers made and three huge dunks to give Tulsa an 81-59 lead with 2:33 remaining in the quarter. Washington finished the quarter with two free throws, as the 66ers took an 85-67 edge into the final quarter. Led by Washington’s 16 points in the period, Tulsa shot 14-of-18 (77.8 percent), including 5-of-8 from three-point range en route to outscoring the Armor 38-26 in the period. Springfield shot 10-for-19 from the field in the quarter, but gave up 14 points off of five turnovers.
Hawkins scored nine points for the Armor during an 11-2 run early in the fourth quarter, getting them within 89-78 with 6:08 remaining in the game. Led by Hawkins, Springfield then proceeded to outscore the 66ers 15-5 during the next four and a half minutes, getting as close as 94-93 with 1:46 left after a Bobbitt three-pointer. But a jumper by Shakur and timely free throws by the 66ers down the stretch was too much for the Armor to overcome. Hawkins scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, as the Armor shot 57.1 percent from the field. The 66ers made 5-of-28 attempts from the field but hit 11-of-15 free throws in the period to secure the win.
The 66ers (18-14) were led by Ehambe with 26 points, including five three-pointers, while Shakur added 24 points and nine assists. Washington contributed 24 points, going 10-for-13 from the free throw line, as Tulsa committed just 14 turnovers in the game.
The Armor (5-25) were led by Hawkins off the bench with 32 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while Bobbitt added 16 points. Kentrell Gransberry had 12 points and 10 boards off the bench, and Curry added 10 points before suffering an elbow injury in the third quarter that kept him out the remainder of the contest.
Tulsa starts a three-game road trip with a back-to-back set against the Reno Bighorns on Saturday, Feb. 27 and Sunday, Feb. 28 before going to Austin on Tuesday, Mar. 2. All three road games can be seen live for free online at tulsa66ers.com. Their next home contest is Thursday, Mar. 4 against the Toros. Springfield continues their road swing with a match up against Rio Grande Valley on Friday, Feb. 26, at Austin on Feb. 28, and the make up of a postponed game against Rio Grande Valley on Mar. 1.
Updated 02-26-2010
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