BIGHORNS STOP 905, CLOSE IN ON A PLAYOFF SPOT

RENO, Nev. ---- The Reno Bighorns (27-21) defeated to the Raptors 905 (30-18) 101-96 Tuesday night at the Reno Events Center.

Marcus Williams led the Bighorns with 26 points, five assists and six rebounds while Jack Cooley had 23 points and seven rebounds. Jakarr Sampson added 20 points and three rebounds for the Bighorns.

Davion Berry paced the 905 scoring 18 points and adding six rebounds while Fuquan Edwin had 17 points, three rebounds and two assists.

The opening frame was a tightly contested battle that saw four ties and two lead changes with neither team leading by more than two possessions. The Bighorns had a one-point edge at the end of the first quarter.

The even play continued through the second quarter as the Bighorns had a 63.2% shooting effort compared to the 905’s 36.0% shooting effort. After four lead changes and six ties, Reno would take a five-point lead heading into the locker room.

A 9-0 run in the opening minutes of the third quarter gave the 905 a nine-point lead, their largest of the afternoon, though the continuous battle to control the tempo carried on. The Bighorns took control of the lead after back-to-back triples from Williams at the 3:12 point of the frame. Despite Williams’ 12 points in the frame behind a 4-7 shooting effort, Reno trailed by one to start the final period.

After trailing by as many as 6 points in the final frame, a lay-up from Williams with 8:12 remaining in the fourth quarter spurred 6-0 run would give the Bighorns a one-point lead. The teams alternated the lead two more times before Reno expanded their lead to six points. Reno held their advantage for the remainder of the frame to secure the win over the 905.

The Bighorns will travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Stars at 6:00 p.m. PST on Friday, Mar. 23.

--bighorns--