Idaho 100, Los Angeles 99

BOISE, Idaho, Jan. 26 – Cecil Brown scored 41 points on 14-for-18 shooting for Los Angeles, but the D-Fenders fell for the second straight game to the Idaho Stampede, 100-99 on Saturday. The win for Idaho over its Western Division rivals secures its 14th straight overall win, and sets a franchise and NBA D-League record for straight home wins at 13.

Two free throws in the final seconds by Idaho’s Mike Taylor gave the Stampede the win. The reserve guard scored a team-high 21 points and and had 10 assists.

“We fought off a very good team tonight,” said Stampede coacfh Bryan Gates.  “Our crowd was in a frenzy all game long and they really helped us pull out the win.”

The D-Fenders looked for revenge for Thursday’s loss to Idaho, extending to a 12-point lead midway through the second quarter on two Brian Chase jumpers and two layups from Stephane Lasme. Five turnovers in the latter half of the second quarter by Los Angeles helped Idaho make a 19-10 run, cutting the D-Fenders lead to 55-52 at halftime. Both teams shot well during the second period, as Idaho shot 14-for-20 from the field and Los Angeles shot 11-for-17 in the quarter.

The Stampede tied the game at the beginning of the fourth at 76 apiece on a Roberto Bergersen jump shot from just inside the three-point arc. Then, with 1:55 remaining in the game, Randy Livingston hit a 20-foot jumper from the left wing to put Idaho ahead 98-91.  Los Angeles rattled off eight straight points to take a 99-98 lead with 18.4 seconds remaining, after a Brown layup and free throw following a foul by Idaho’s Lance Allred on the shot. Taylor then drove toward the basket, drawing the foul on Brian Chase, which led to the final two free throws that sealed the win for the Stampede.

Idaho overcame a 26-to-9 advantage in made free throws for the D-Fenders, by shooting 55 percent from the field and having a 60-to-32 advantage scoring in the paint during the contest.

Including Taylor, Idaho had five players score in double figures. Bergersen finished with 17 points; Allred added 15 points and eight rebounds and Josh McRoberts finished with 14 points. Mouhamed Sene contributed 10 points and six rebounds, and Livingston dished out 13 assists.

Led by Brown, who also shot 11-for-11 from the free throw stripe, Chase scored 23 points and Lasme pitched in 13 for Los Angeles.

The loss is the fourth straight for the D-Fenders (15-8) as they head back home to face the Utah Flash for two games.

The victory gives the Stampede (18-5) a 10-0 record against their Western Division foes. They will play the Bakersfield Jam next Friday before heading to Anaheim for a two-game series against the Arsenal.