OREM, UT - Jan. 5, 2009 – The Albuquerque Thunderbirds, led by Player of the Game Will Conroy, overcame an 11-point first-quarter deficit to defeat the Sioux Falls Skyforce 115-108 in the first game of the 2009 NBA D-League Showcase being played at the McKay Events Center in Orem, Utah, home of the Utah Flash.
“It feels good to win,” Conroy said of the victory. “This is our first two-game win streak this year and we’re going in the right direction as a team. Even though we got off the plane late last night, we came out and got a W – it feels great.”
The Thunderbirds, on the back of Conroy’s 26-point, 11-assist effort and Keith McLeod’s 24 points, outscored Sioux Falls 71-40 during the second and third periods to earn the win.
The Skyforce dominated the first period, as the team got off to a hot start and never relinquished the leading, finishing the quarter up by 11, 33-22. Keith Brumbaugh dominated the period scoring 12 of his team’s 33 points. In the second quarter, Albuquerque fought back to lead by as many as eight points before settling for a six-point half-time deficit, 59-53.
Sioux Falls was led by Gary Forbes who came off of the bench to score 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Forbes was complimented by teammates Bobby Jones and Keith Brumbaugh, who each scored 15 in the loss.
The Thunderbirds improve to 4-10 on the season, while Sioux Falls falls to 10-6. Both teams continue action at the 2009 NBA D-League Showcase this week, with Albuquerque matching up against the Erie BayHawks and the Skyforce taking on the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, both on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
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