Vipers Surge Past 66ers

Hidalgo, March 24 -- Playing the role of playoff spoiler, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers received solid bench production from Ivan Johnson and Kris Collins en route to the 109-94 win over the Tulsa 66ers Monday night at Dodge Arena. The win was the second straight at home by Rio Grande Valley and third straight defeat for the 66ers as they continue to battle for a D-League playoff spot.

Collins scored a career high 31-points to lead all scorers and dished out a team high five assists in the RGV victory. Johnson meanwhile added his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and a team high 11 rebounds. The Vipers bench scored 61 of their points on the night. Desmon Farmer scored 26 points and pulled down five rebounds.

The teams traded the lead in the early stages of the third quarter until the Vipers pulled away late. The game featured five ties and 11 lead changes with nine of them coming in the 3rd quarter.

Adam Harrington led the way for Tulsa with 23 points despite a poor shooting night. Mike Hall led the 66ers in rebounds and assists with 14 and six respectively, and added 15 points in the losing effort.

The Vipers outscored the 66ers in each of the game’s four quarters including a 34-25 margin in the fourth quarter en route to the double-digit win. The 66ers loss drops them ½ game behind Colorado for the fifth seed in the D-League playoff standings. The Vipers face the 66ers for the second straight night on Tuesday night at Dodge Arena. The teams will also play in the regular season finale on April 11th.