SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.— Despite trailing after the first period, Reno put together a monster second-quarter effort and never trailed again, defeating the Springfield Armor 112-99 Saturday night in the MassMutual Center.
After suffering a close loss at the hands of the Bighorns (15-17) on Friday night, Springfield (5-24) jumped on top early on Saturday, taking a three-point lead after one quarter of play. But the second quarter would belong to Reno. The Bighorns outscored the Armor 37-18 in the second frame, and Reno would not lose control for the rest of the evening.
The Bighorns have now won three-straight games to kick-off the second half of the season, and Reno is a perfect 3-0 through its first three legs of a season-long five-game road swing with the Eastern Conference.
Desmon Farmer hit four three-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points. Farmer, who scored 41 points last night against Springfield, kicked-in seven assists and four rebounds for Reno. Rod Benson continued his low-post dominance of late, notching another double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. D.J. Strawberry came off the bench to add 20 points and eight assists.
Tony Bobbitt led Springfield with 23 points, helped by five three-point field goals. Kyle McAlarney dished-out nine assists, and JamesOn Curry added 22 points for the Armor.
Reno continues its road trip with a pair of games next week against the Iowa Energy, who hold the NBA D-League’s best record. On the front end of the two-game series, the two teams will meet on Tuesday in Wells Fargo Arena. Tip-time is set for 5 p.m. PST and the action can be seen live on NBA Futurecast by visiting www.RenoBighorns.com.
Reno returns home on Feb. 27 for a weekend series against Tulsa. Tickets are on-sale now at www.RenoBighorns.com, the Reno Events Center Box Office, Silver Legacy Box Office, or by visiting any Northern Nevada Ticketmaster location or Web site.
The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA’s official minor league whose teams have direct affiliations to NBA franchises. For the 2009-10 season, the league will feature 16 teams – including the debut of the Maine Red Claws and the Springfield Armor. A proven developer of talent, 20 percent of players in the NBA at the conclusion of the 2008-09 season boasted NBA D-League experience, while the league continues to develop coaches, referees, and front office staff for the NBA and its teams. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, 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 the season fans can watch all NBA D-League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.
