SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.— Reno’s Desmon Farmer matched his own franchise record with 41 points Friday night, as the Bighorns used a last-second defensive stand to top the Springfield Armor, 124-123, in the MassMutual Center.
Farmer finished 13-of-21 from the field, 6-for-11 from beyond the arc and 9-for-9 from the stripe to record a franchise-record-tying 41 points. The USC product also scored 41 on Jan. 16 at Idaho. Farmer completed his night with four assists and four boards in the winning effort.
The Bighorns (14-17) trailed by a bucket after three quarters, but Farmer scored 12 of Reno’s first 14 points in the fourth quarter to put the Bighorns back on top.
Springfield’s Tony Bobbitt knocked-down a three-pointer with 26 seconds remaining to put the Armor (5-23) ahead by a point, but Will Blalock answered with a jump shot that gave the edge back to Reno with just 16 seconds to play. In the closing seconds, Springfield missed on two shot attempts to preserve the Reno victory.
In addition to Farmer’s 41, five other Bighorns registered in double figures in scoring, including 19 points off the bench by Yaroslav Korolev. D.J. Strawberry kicked-in eight assists for the Bighorns.
JamesOn Curry paced the Armor with 31 points. Bobbitt added 26, while Kyle McAlarney dished-out 10 assists.
The two teams will hook-up again on Saturday. Tip-time is set for 4 p.m. PST from the MassMutual Center.
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.
