WINDY CITY HOLDS ON TO BEAT DELAWARE 109-106 TO COMPLETE SEASON SWEEP

[caption id="attachment_2921" 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, completed the season series sweep and beat the Delaware 87ers 109-106 on Tuesday night at the Bob Carpenter Convention Center.

Six Windy City Bulls scored in double figures including four of the five starters. Antonio Blakeney led the charge and poured in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds, which led the team. Jarell Eddie, Alex Hamilton and CJ Fair all scored 14 points and Jaylen Johnson tallied 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. Ryan Arcidiacono pitched in with 10 points and collected eight assists – his 14th game with at least eight assists.

Blakeney got the Bulls off to a solid start scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds in the opening 12 minutes. Scoring was a struggle as each team shot under 40 percent in the quarter. In fact, there was a stretch where both teams missed 15 consecutive shots before an Alex Hamilton layup broke the streak. The Bulls led by as many as seven points in the period, but Delaware closed the period on a mini 5-0 run to make it a one score game at the end of the first quarter.

Christian Wood played a game-high 43 minutes, scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for his 19th double-double of the season. James Young recorded 22 points, while Devin Robinson scored 16 points of his own. Shawn Long and Tyshawn Abbott scored 11 points apiece and Cameron Oliver added eight points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Windy City created a bit of separation to start the second quarter and used a 7-0 run to take a nine-point lead. The Bulls led by nine on a couple occasions, which turned out to be their largest lead of the evening. Despite the quality start, the Bulls were unable to run and hide as the 87ers stayed within shouting distance and ultimately tied the game twice. Blakeney continued to have the hot hand and scored 10 points in the period, including the final six points for Windy City. Leading by one with under six seconds remaining in the half, Harris turned the ball over which led to a Delaware basket, thus giving them a 51-50 lead at the intermission.

Delaware scored the opening basket of the second half, but Windy City responded with five consecutive points to even the game at 55. The third quarter featured four ties and two lead changes as the two teams jockeyed back-and-fourth. With the game tied at 62, Johnson and Arcidiacono scored back-to-back baskets to give the Bulls a five-point advantage. However, the lead didn’t last long as Delaware used a 13-3 spurt to recapture the lead, which forced a Windy City timeout with 2:28 left to play in the period. Windy City shot over 47 percent in the quarter, but were outscored by four and trailed 81-76 heading into the final 12 minutes.

The Bulls opened the fourth quarter with a fury and scored six points in 70 seconds to go on top by one. Eddie had a tough shooting night, but made his presence felt in the final period. He scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and knocked in both of his three-point attempts. Delaware made things interesting down the stretch and tied the game on multiple occasions before the Bulls grabbed a 104-103 lead with under a minute remaining. Blakeney, who scored just three points in the period, knocked in a fadeaway jumper to increase the lead to three, which sealed the victory for Windy City.

The Bulls three wins over Delaware this season came by a combined 11 points. Windy City continues its east coast swing with two games against the Long Island Nets over the weekend. Game one is Friday and tip-off is 6:00 p.m. CST at the Nassau Coliseum.

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.