Vipers Come From Behind to Beat Skyforce

HIDALGO, TEXAS –Down by as many as nine point in the first half, the defending NBADevelopment League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers turned around 22 points tobeat the Sioux Falls Skyforce 106-92 Saturday at State Farm Arena.

The Vipers(9-7) are winners of two in a row while the Skyforce (2-12) are losers ofseven-straight.

The Skyforcejumped out to a 7-0 lead until MustafaShakur found Mouhammad Faye foran alley-oop with 8:21 remaining in the first quarter. The Vipers were down19-11 at the 4:05 mark after RaymondSykes hit a jumper, but TerrelHarris and Jerel McNeal hitback-to-back three-pointers to make it 19-14 with 3:43 remaining. The Vipersclimbed to within 28-26 at the end of the first quarter when McNeal hit a deeptwo-pointer from the right wing.

Harristied the game for the first time at 44-44 with 3:09 remaining in the secondquarter. Jeff Adrien hit a lay-up 35seconds later to give the Vipers their first lead at 46-44. A Faye dunk gavethe Vipers a 7-0 run with under one minute left in the second quarter.

TheVipers opened the third quarter on a 17-4 run, capped by a lay-up from Shakur,to extend their lead to 68-52.

Antonio Anderson had a strong game for the Vipers,hitting three three-pointers while scoring 14 points and recording a +26defensive rating. Harris led the Vipers with a career-high 22 points, hitting acareer-high five three-pointers, and Adrien recorded a double-double with 15points, a career-high 12 rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots.

Anthony Mason Jr. led the Skyforce with 21 points while Keaton Grant finished with 16 pointsand nine rebounds.

The Vipers welcomethe Austin Toros to town for the first of two on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at StateFarm Arena. It’s Military Night. The first 1,000 fans in attendance willreceive cowbells, courtesy of Valley Grande Institute. Fans can take advantageof the State Farm Family 4 Pack, which consists of four tickets, four hot dogsand four sodas for $44. Doors open at 6:00.