Vipers Open Semifinals Against Reno at Home on Sunday

HIDALGO, TEXAS – The defending NBA DevelopmentLeague champion and third-seeded Rio Grande Valley Vipers will host the WesternConference champion and second-seeded Reno Bighorns in Game 1 of thebest-of-three semifinals on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at State Farm Arena.

Tickets start at $7 are can be purchased throughthe Vipers, Ticketmasteror the State Farm Arena box office.

The game will be televised on VERSUS on tape-delay starting at 10:00 p.m. or immediately after the conclusion ofthe NHL playoffs telecast. VERSUS can be found on Time Warner Cable channel 314(SD)/1314 (HD), Dish Network channel 151 and DirecTV channel 603.

Games 2 and 3 (ifnecessary) will take place at the Reno Events Center on Wednesday and Thursdayat 9:00 p.m.

The Vipers were 1-1 against the Bighorns duringthe regular season, with both games coming in Reno. The Vipers fell 119-111 onDecember 10 and won 126-122 on December 11. Jerel McNeal, who has led the Vipers in scoring in all three gamesof the playoffs thus far, scored a career-high and Vipers season-high 40 pointsin the second game. The Vipers are 4-4 all-time against the Bighorns and 2-1 inpost-season play, as the Vipers beat the Bighorns in last year’s Quarterfinals.The Vipers won the road game and split the home games.

The Vipers are 3-1 in televised games thisseason, including a 2-1 mark when the game is on VERSUS and an 0-1 mark in thepost-season. The Vipers beat the Texas Legends at State Farm Arena on November18 and the Erie BayHawks during the NBA Development League Showcase at theSouth Padre Island Convention Centre on January 12 on VERSUS. The Vipers fellto the Bakersfield Jam at the Jam Events Center in Game 1 of the Quarterfinalson April 8 on VERSUS. The Vipers are 1-1 this season when being televised onthe road, picking up a win against the Austin Toros on Fox Sports Southwest onFebruary 10.

The Vipers are 8-2 all-time when playing onVERSUS, including a 3-1 mark during last year’s playoffs. The Vipers are 2-1when playing on VERSUS on the road, with victories over the Toros and the Tulsa66ers during the Semifinals and Finals of last year’s playoffs, respectively.

The Vipers are 1-1 against the Bighorns onVERSUS and 0-1 during the post-season, with both games coming last year atState Farm Arena.