Seesaw Battle in Bakersfield Ends in Flash Victory

Utah 102, Bakersfield 99

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., March 16, 2008 – Morris Almond scored eight of his game-high 23 points in the last six minutes of the contest, and Kyrylo Fesenko added 21 as the Utah Flash rallied to defeat the Bakersfield Jam 102-99 in NBA Development League action Sunday night at Rabobank Arena.

Almond and Fesenko, both on assignment from the Utah Jazz, scored 11 points apiece in the final 12 minutes to fuel a Flash run that erased a seven-point Bakersfield lead, propelling Utah to its 19th victory of the season against 22 losses.

The Jam led at every break and held a double-digit lead in the second quarter before settling for a seven-point cushion at halftime. The Jam lead grew to 11 points in the first minute of the final period as Patrick O’Bryant, on assignment from the Golden State Warriors, popped in a 15-foot turnaround jumper and a layup before Utah began whittling away at the Bakersfield lead.

The Flash took their first lead since the opening quarter with 6:30 left in the game. The lead changed five times and there were three ties before Utah stretched its advantage to five, at 99-94, on a pair of Almond free throws. The Jam were able to get to within two, but Fesenko and Almond sealed the win down the stretch.

O’Bryant led Bakersfield with 21 points and six rebounds. Mateen Cleaves followed with 18 points and seven assists, Justin Reed added 14 points, and Michael Cuffee contributed 13 for the Jam. Gabe Pruitt, on assignment to Utah from the Boston Celtics, added 16 for the Flash.