Albuquerque, N.M., March 14, 2008 – Alando Tucker led a balanced Albuquerque Thunderbirds attack with 26 points as the Thunderbirds defeated the Austin Toros for the third straight game 127-108 Friday night at Tingley Coliseum

Seven Thunderbirds players scored ten plus points including Will Conroy’s double-double; 16 points, 14 assists. Kevin Pittsnogle added 22 points and Julius Hodge contributed 18 points.

“Everyone is really contributing right now,” Albuquerque Head Coach Jeff Ruland said. “We have gone from a team that averaged 99 points a game to a team that can score over 70 in a half. Now we just have to continue to make a run.”

Justin Bowen came off the bench to lead the Toros in scoring with a double-double; 27 points, 15 assists. Marcus Williams had 25 points and Andre Barrett pitched in 24 points for the Toros who dropped their third straight to Albuquerque.

Bowen led all scorers in the second half registering 18 for the Toros. The first half deficit proved to be too much for Austin to overcome. Albuquerque had the hot hand all night shooting a stellar 52.4% from the field in the second half.

Conroy had 11 first half assists helping Albuquerque shoot 58.7% and put up their highest first half point total of the season, 72 points. Williams led the Toros in first half scoring with 17 of Austin’s 55 first half points. Albuquerque led 38-33 after the first quarter.

The Thunderbirds get back to action Sunday, March 16th at home against the Los Angeles D-Fenders; game time is set for 3:00 pm from Tingley Coliseum. Following Sunday’s game will be the finals of the McDonald’s NBA Amateur Slam Dunk Competition.

Thunderbirds 2007–08 single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at abqtbirds.com, any Ticketmaster location or at the Thunderbirds front office at 111 Lomas Blvd. NE, Suite 240, Albuquerque, NM 87102. For premium or group seating call the Thunderbirds office at (505) 265-DUNK.

The Thunderbirds stay focused on the community by participating in community events such as the Read to Achieve Program as well as D-League Cares. In the past two seasons the Thunderbirds have worked over 3,000 hours in the community, staying dedicated to Albuquerque and New Mexico.

The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams. Now in its seventh season the D-League’s goals are to provide affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 14 teams, as well as continue to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA. As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA, fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played outside the NBA. In fact, former D-League players represented 10 percent of NBA players on 2007-08 opening day rosters, numbering 44 in total. In addition, the D-League has produced 25 percent of current NBA referees and 16 current NBA coaches, including head coach Sam Vincent with the Charlotte Bobcats. The D-League is an innovative and rapidly growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing ground for new initiatives like the live web-streaming of all games available free to fans at d-league.com. The League also provides continuing education and professional development resources for its players, and is committed to serving its local communities through D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts.

Individually, the Thunderbirds have had two player call-ups, two front office call-ups, two training staff call-ups and three call-ups from the Storm Chasers Dance and Cheer squad.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the D-League offers NBA-quality basketball and fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit NBADLEAGUE.com