by The NBA D-League Western Conference Leader Reno Bighorns (30-16) defeated the Los Angeles D-Fenders (26-20) 131-113 Friday night at the Reno Events Center.
Ricky Ledo netted 29 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and added five assists to lead the Bighorns. Erick Green scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added three assists as Luke Martinez (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) added 14 points and 2 assists.
Sacramento Kings Assignment Player, Duje Dukan, tallied 19 points and seven assists.
Vander Blue led the D-Fenders with 31 points, two rebounds and five assists. Ryan Gomes totaled 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists while Andre Ingram added 18 points and four rebounds for the D-Fenders.
The Bighorns would jump out to an early 9-point lead over the D-Fenders in the first quarter before the D-Fenders would go on a 7-0 run taking their biggest lead of the night with a 28-25 advantage over the Bighorns. Back-to-back threes from Dukan with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter gave Bighorns a 32-30 lead they would never relinquish.
The Bighorns continued to control the game in the second quarter with a 51-41 lead midway through the quarter after going on a 9-0 run. The Bighorns went 9-17 from behind the arc. The D-Fenders chipped away at the Bighorns closing the deficit to 55-50 with 4:30 remaining in the first half. The Bighorns responded with 9-2 run behind threes from Dukan and Ledo to end first half with a 72-59 lead over the D-Fenders.
The Bighorns would continue to maintain their advantage over the D-Fenders entering the third quarter going on an early 9-0 run. Erick Green would go 3-4 from behind the arc in the third. The Bighorns took a 90-73 lead over the D-Fenders with 7:00 remaining in the frame. The Bighorns won the frame 33-30, leading the D-Fenders 105-89 heading into the final quarter. Green scored 13 of his 22 points in the third.
The Bighorns kept control of the game going on an 8-0 run giving the Bighorns their biggest lead of the night with a 124-98 advantage halfway through the fourth quarter. Dukan netted eight points in the quarter. The Bighorns earned a 131-113 win over the D-Fenders, logging their fourth straight home win.
Luke Martinez’s fans are through all of North Dakota
We’d sure love to hear more of him.