TULSA, Okla., April 15, 2011— Guard Elijah Millsap posted his fourth double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Jerome Dyson scored a game-high 24 points but the Tulsa 66ers fell short 103-96 to the top-seeded Iowa Energy in Game One of the 2011 D-League Semifinals Friday night inside the Tulsa Convention Center.
Fourth-seeded Tulsa rallied from 13-point deficits twice in the contest but came up just short to fall 0-1 in the best-of-three series. The defeat was Tulsa’s first in the 2011 playoffs, as the 66ers swept the Texas Legends in the opening round.
“This is not a one-and-done, it is a series,” 66ers head coach Nate Tibbetts said. “Iowa played great tonight and they were really well-coached. We have to be ready to go on Monday night, and I believe our guys will be up for the challenge.”
Also scoring in double-figures for Tulsa was Robert Vaden with 16 points. Chipping in a season-high four blocks was forward Marcus Lewis.
Tulsa tallied 17 assists as a team, led by Dyson with seven dishes. The 66ers registered nine steals on the night, led by Millsap with three thefts.
Defensively, the 66ers held the Energy to 40-88 (.455) shooting from the floor.
Leading the Energy was forward Michael Haynes with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Also chipping in a double-double was Scott VanderMeer with 15 points and 11 boards.
The two teams will compete in Game Two of the best-of-three series on Monday, April 18, in Des Moines, Iowa, at 7 p.m. inside the Wells Fargo Arena. The Energy will host an if-necessary Game Three on Tuesday, April 19.
For more information on the Tulsa 66ers, log onto Tulsa66ers.com.