66ers Eradicate Mad Ants 101-77 to Sweep Home Series
TULSA, Okla., March 8, 2010 – All three Oklahoma City Thunder assigned players notched double-doubles, as the Tulsa 66ers defeated the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 101-77 Monday at the Tulsa Convention Center. The win was their fourth straight and sixth in a row at home. D.J. White led the 66ers with a game-high 26 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, while Kyle Weaver had 18 points and a game-high 10 assists, and Byron Mullens added 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The 66ers outscored the Mad Ants 53-27 in the second half, holding Fort Wayne to 28.6 percent (12-42) shooting from the field in the half, and to one basket during a 31-2 run that spanned from the 4:10 mark of the third quarter to 4:16 remaining in the game.
The game started out as a carbon copy of the previous night’s contest, with six lead changes and seven ties in the first quarter alone. The Mad Ants pushed ahead 15-10 after a Dan Dickau steal and fast break lay up with 5:54 left in the quarter. The 66ers answered back with a 6-0 run, capped by a Moses Ehambe three-pointer that gave them a 16-15 edge with 4:59 remaining in the period. After a Ryan Ayers lay up gave the Mad Ants a 24-20 lead with 2:32 remaining, the 66ers tied the game at 24 after a Weaver steal and dunk. The period ended all knotted up at 26. White compiled seven points and six boards in the quarter, as the 66ers shot 55 percent (11-20) from the field and outrebounded the Mad Ants 13-9. Oliver Lafayette had six first quarter points, as they shot 12-for-25.
Both teams battled back-and-forth with seven lead changes and two ties in the second quarter. A Dickau three-pointer with 8:03 remaining in the half sparked a 7-1 run for the Mad Ants, turning a one-point deficit into a five-point lead at 39-34 with 6:28 left. The 66ers quickly answered with a 7-2 run to give them a 42-41 edge with 4:31 remaining, following a White lay up. A big Deron Washington dunk gave Tulsa a 48-43 lead with 1:31 left in the first half, but the Mad Ants answered with a 7-0 run that gave them a 50-48 advantage at halftime. Jason Straight scored 11 of his team-high 20 points in the quarter for Fort Wayne, as they shot 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from the field in the period. Washington had six points in the quarter, as the 66ers hit 8-of-22 field goal attempts.
A Washington three-pointer gave the 66ers the lead for the remainder of the game, as they went up 57-54 with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter. The Mad Ants pulled to within one at 61-60 following a Sean Sonderleiter hook shot with 5:51 left, but Weaver hit two free throws and White connected on a three-point play that gave the 66ers a 66-60 lead with 4:45 on the clock. A Rob Kurz jumper and two free throws by Sonderleiter cut the lead back to within 66-64 with 4:10 remaining in the third quarter, but Tulsa busted out on their big run to seal the win. White scored 17 points, and Weaver had 12 in the second half, as the 66ers shot 56.8 percent (21-37).
Tulsa outrebounded Fort Wayne 58-38 and outscored the Mad Ants 42-26 in the paint in the game. The 24-point margin of victory tied a season-high for Tulsa, and was the first time since December 11, 2008 that the 66ers finished with three players compiling double-doubles.
Led by the Thunder assignees, the 66ers (23-16) had four players in double-figures scoring. Washington replaced Mustafa Shakur in the starting lineup due to an illness, and tallied 15 points and six rebounds.
The Mad Ants (14-25) were led by Straight, while Lafayette put up 16 points and Sonderleiter finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards.
Updated 03-09-2010
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