WINDY CITY DOWNS CANTON 117-87 ON THURSDAY AT QUICKEN LOANS ARENA

[caption id="attachment_2616" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Photo by Allison Farrand/NBAE via Getty Images[/caption]

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – The Windy City Bulls, presented by BMO Harris Bank, the NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, notched their second consecutive win with a 117-87 victory over the Canton Charge on Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.

Five players scored in double figures led by Antonio Blakeney who poured in a game-high 26 points for Windy City. Cristiano Felicio, who was on assignment from the Chicago Bulls, tallied his second double-double of the season with 22 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, while Karrington Ward scored a career-high 17 points. Jaylen Johnson added 15 and Duje Dukan pitched in with a season-high 12 points.

Windy City led wire-to-wire as they scored 12 of the first 14 points and never looked back. Ward jump-started the Bulls offense scoring nine points on three three-pointers in the opening quarter. The 10-point advantage ballooned to 21, aided by six Bulls finding the scoring column in the opening quarter. Windy City shot over 57 percent from the floor and led by as many as 26 on their way to a 37-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Marcus Thornton paced Canton with 19 points despite a plus/minus of negative 42. London Perrantes scored 18 and Caleb Swanigan, who was also on assignment, posted a double-double of his own with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Olekaibe added 17 points and snatched three rebounds for the Charge.

The early offensive success didn’t carry over, as the Bulls managed 19 points in the second stanza, however, the defense took control holding the Charge to four field goals in the period. Windy City held Canton to two sub 20-point quarters in the first half as the Charge scored just 17 points in the second. The Bulls took advantage of 15 first-half turnovers, which resulted in 18 points and a 26-point lead at the half.

Both teams gathered an offensive rhythm in the third, with each team scoring 30 points in the period. Blakeney, Johnson, and Felicio combined for 26 points and made all 11 shots they took in the third. Perrantes tried to keep Canton in the game, scoring 13 of his 18 points in the period, but the Charge trailed by at least 25 for the entire second half. Windy City outscored Canton 33-31 in the quarter and took a commanding 89-61 lead into the final 12 minutes.

The fourth quarter was status quo as the Bulls knocked down 11 of their 16 shots in the final period. Ward finished the game the same way he started going 3-for-3 with eight points to close the contest. The Bulls shot 54 percent for the game on their way to their second victory over the Charge this season. With the win, Windy City is now tied with Canton with a record of 8-11.

The 30-point margin of victory is the second largest in Windy City franchise history and Canton’s 87 points are the fewest the Bulls have allowed since the Mad Ants scored 78 on Jan. 19, 2017. The Bulls head north and continue their three-game road swing against the Raptors 905 on Saturday.

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.