SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Reno’s playoff push rolled into Los Angeles on Tuesday night, and guard Richie Frahm delivered seven three-pointers to help push the Bighorns to a 114-101 victory over the D-Fenders in the Toyota Sports Center.
Frahm finished 7-for-11 from beyond the arc, adding one two-point bucket on his way to a game-high 23 points off the bench for the Bighorns (22-22). The Reno victory eliminates Los Angeles (16-28) from the 2009-10 NBA D-League playoff picture and keeps the Bighorns’ postseason hopes alive and well for another day, with just six games remaining on the regular season slate.
Reno jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, leading by seven after one period and by 10 at the break. Though Los Angeles shot 52.3 percent from the field on Tuesday, Reno managed to shoot 54.5 percent from the floor and collected 22 more free-throw tries than the D-Fenders.
Frahm’s 23 points led six Bighorns in double figures. Rod Benson notched a double-double with 23 points and 11 boards, and Doug Thomas kicked-in 19 points and 11 rebounds. Will Blalock chipped-in a double-double of his own with 10 points and 10 assists.
Michael Fey paced Los Angeles with 22 points and 11 boards. Ryan Forehan-Kelly finished with 21 points and four assists for the D-Fenders.
The Bighorns and D-Fenders will hook-up again on Wednesday afternoon in the final road contest of the season for Reno. Tip-time from the Toyota Sports Center is set for 3:30 p.m. PST. The action can be seen live on NBA Futurecast by visiting www.RenoBighorns.com.
The Bighorns round-out the 2009-10 season with five-straight games at home, beginning with a weekend series against Maine next Friday and Saturday night. 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.
