Dakota 105, Rio Grande Valley 103
Houston Rockets assignee Marcus Morris scored a game high 33 points and 16 rebounds in his debut on assignment, but the Rio Grande Valley Vipers fell to the Dakota Wizards in a nail-biter 105-103 Friday night at State Farm Arena. The loss ends a three game winning streak for the Vipers.
HIDALGO, TX --
Friday’s game was a back-and-forth affair that saw 12 lead changes and ten ties.
In the second half the Wizards built a lead of 12 when Mike Anderson hit a jumper with 4:15 remaining in the third. With Mike Anderson’s basket the Wizards led 78-66. The Vipers trailed after three quarters 86-77.
Rio Grande Valley began the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run, including two three-pointers, to pull to within one at 86-85. Later in the period Edwin Ubiles’ three-pointer with 3:05 remaining extended the Dakota lead to 104-97. The Vipers closed out the period on a 6-1 run which proved to be two points short of a tie. Morris had a three-point look to win the game in the final moments but fell just short as time expired.
Morris added five assists in his breakout debut. Greg Smith finished with 16 points and six boards for Rio Grande Valley. Lee Humphrey hit three from beyond the arc and finished with 15 points.
Ubiles led the offense for Dakota as he finished with 26 points in 43+ minutes of action. Veteran Wizard Mo Baker was a pair of rebounds shy of a triple-double as he finished with 12 points and a game high 12 assists Shy Ely scored 14 while Anderson and Curtis Withers each scored 11 in the Dakota victory.
The Vipers and Wizards will renew acquaintances on Saturday night when they battle again. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM
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