BLAKENY SCORES 1,000TH-POINT, WINDY CITY BEATS IOWA 102-97

[caption id="attachment_3056" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photo by John L. Alexander/NBAE via Windy City Bulls[/caption]

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – The Windy City Bulls, presented by BMO Harris Bank, the NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, collected their fourth consecutive win in a 102-97 victory over the Iowa Wolves on Wednesday night at Sears Centre Arena.

Three Windy City players scored in double figures led by Antonio Blakeney who poured in a game-high 30 points. Ryan Arcidiacono tallied his fourth 20-point game and posted a stat line of 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Tyler Harris scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. In a reserve role, Jaylen Johnson and Karrington Ward combined for 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Iowa started the game by scoring the first two buckets of the contest, but Windy City responded with eight consecutive points and used a 19-4 run to take an early 19-8 lead. Harris and Blakeney had the hot hand early combining for 21 of the Bulls 31 first quarter points. At the 7:58 mark, Blakeney scored on a three-bucket and became the first player in Windy City franchise history to amass 1,000 points and is the first G League player to reach the 1,000-point plateau. After having their lead trimmed to five, Windy City used an additional 10-1 spurt to take a commanding 14-point lead, which turned out to be the largest of the night. However, the Wolves offense found its way and they scored 10 of the final 12 points of the period. Both teams shot 50 percent, but at the end of the opening 12 minutes, the Bulls led by six, 31-25.

Two-Way player, Anthony Brown notched his third double-double of the season and scored a team-high 22 points while dishing out 10 assists. The G League’s leading rebounder, Amile Jefferson, tallied 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and posted his 32nd double-digit rebound game. Wes Washpun scored 20 points off the bench, while Justin Patton, who was assigned by the Minnesota Timberwolves, scored 18 points to go along with nine rebounds.

Windy City opened the second quarter with back-to-back baskets by Johnson and Hamilton to extend their lead to double figures once more. Eight different Bulls players scored in the period, but it was Iowa who found a rhythm and shot 50 percent for the second consecutive quarter. Three Wolves players scored six points as they connected on 11 of their field-goal attempts. With 5.9 seconds before halftime, Arcidiacono gave the Bulls a five-point lead, but a Washpun three-make of his own made it a one possession game at the intermission.

After scoring the first four points of the second half, Iowa’s offense found traction and they tied the game at 63 aided by an 11-5 run, which forced a Bulls timeout at the 6:20 mark. On the ensuing possession, Washpun nailed a three-point shot to give the Wolves their first lead since they led 6-4 in the early stages of the first quarter. Iowa shot 12-of-23 and they went on to lead by as many as 10 points with under three minutes to play in the period. The Bulls shot a shade over 30 percent in the stanza and missed all seven of their-point attempts. By the end of the period, Windy City managed to get the lead within single digits, but trailed 81-73 heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Blakeney made his presence felt scoring 15 points in the period, including nine of the Bulls first 11 points. His offensive outburst erased the eight-point fourth quarter deficit and tied the game at 85 apiece. After Iowa scored a basket to break the tie, Blakeney drained a three-pointer to put Windy City on top with 4:38 remaining in the game. The final 12 minutes was nip-and-tuck as there were seven ties and four lead changes. With under two minutes to play, the Bulls trailed by one, but Windy City took the lead for good on a Ward three-point field-goal. The Bulls scored the game on a 9-2 run to seal their eighth win in their last 10 games.

With the win, Windy City is now 2-0 all-time against the Iowa Wolves. The Bulls hit the road to face the Greensboro Swarm for their penultimate road game of the season. Tip-off is 6:00 p.m. at The Fieldhouse.

Fans can stay up-to-date on team news by following the team on Twitter (@WindyCityBulls) or visiting (WindyCityBulls.com). Full season membership, group, and single tickets for the 2017-18 Windy City Bulls season are on sale now. For all ticket information and full season schedule, visit WindyCityBulls.com.