WINDY CITY HANGS ON, BEATS LONG ISLAND 129-114 FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE WIN

[caption id="attachment_3047" align="aligncenter" width="600"] 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, grabbed their tenth double-digit win of the season and beat the Long Island Nets 129-114 on Friday night at Nassau Coliseum.

Four Windy City players scored in double figures led by Antonio Blakeney who poured in 41 points and added 11 rebounds for his seventh 40-point game and third double-double of the season. Jarell Eddie scored 20 points and made four three-pointers, while Alex Hamilton had his best night as a member of Windy City, posting a stat line 19 points, three rebounds, three assists, five steals and two blocked shots. Tyler Harris pitched in with 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting in 21 minutes.

Offense was plentiful as Windy City had it clicking on all cylinders from the outset. Long Island scored the opening basket of the game and led 5-3, but the Bulls followed with a 13-1 run to grab an early 10-point advantage. Nine of the ten players who saw action in the first quarter scored a basket, with Blakeney tallying 11 points to lead all scorers. Windy City rattled off 14 consecutive points in the final 4:48 of the period to grab a 21-point lead, their largest in the opening 12 minutes. Long Island managed to make three of their 23 shot attempts and scored 11 points, which is the fewest points the Bulls have given up in a quarter all season. Conversely, Windy City shot 48 percent from the floor and lead 32-11 at the end of the first stanza.

The Nets had three players who scored 20 or more points in the contest. Isaiah Whitehead, who was on assignment from the Brooklyn Nets, collected a team-high 24 points, three rebounds and four assists. Long Island’s two-way players, Milton Doyle and James Webb III, combined for 45 points and 17 rebounds, while Kendall Gray added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Jeremy Senglin scored 11 points and Shannon Scott contributed had seven points and 11 rebounds.

Windy City scored back-to-back baskets to start the second quarter and led by 25, the high-water mark for the evening. Following a floater by Brandon Wood, Long Island found their footing and used a 19-4 spurt to make it a 10-point game once more. With 65 seconds remaining until halftime, Doyle scored on a driving layup to trim the lead inside double digits, which was the closest the Nets had been since the 5:02 mark of the first quarter. Long Island shot over 62 percent from the field and outscored the Bulls by 11 in the period. Blakeney scored the final basket of the half, and his three-pointer gave Windy City a 60-50 lead at the intermission.

Long Island picked up where they left off and scored the first five points of the second to make it a five-point game. After a jumper by Blakeney, the Nets used an additional 9-2 to even the game at 64, forcing a Windy City timeout with 8:06 left in the quarter. Following the break in action, Doyle knocked in a three-point jumper to give Long Island a 67-64 lead, their first since the score read 5-3. The Nets went on to led by as many as seven and collected their second consecutive 30-point quarter. Webb scored 12 points in the period and led Long Island to an 88-84 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

Harris and Hamilton led the charge to start the fourth quarter and scored 10 straight points, which allowed the Bulls to retake the lead. In fact, the duo combined for 20 points in the period and scored the first six baskets for Windy City. The Bulls offense found another gear as they shot over 70 percent and scored 45 points in the quarter, which set new season-highs. Despite the blistering quarter, Long Island cut the lead to four on several occasions, but were unable to draw closer. Eventually, the Bulls stretched the lead back to double figures and held on to beat the Nets for the first time this season.

The Bulls will remain in Long Island as they have one more game upcoming on Sunday afternoon with the Nets. Tip-off is 2:00 p.m. CST.

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.