The first quarter ended with the Tbirds at 29 and the Vipers at 30. The Tbirds David Monds and the Vipers Alpha Bangura both led their teams with 12 points. The Vipers shot over 68% from the field, with 11 for 16 shots.

At the half the Vipers led 54-49. However, it was an evenly matched half, with eight tie scores and the lead changing four times. Tbirds leader Will Conroy also got his game started, by scoring 11 points.

The third quarter ended with the Vipers in the led again, 75-73, and the Vipers Bangura already posting 28 points. The Tbirds continued to keep the Vipers on their toes, as the game had a tied score, another five times.

The fourth quarter came to a dramatic end with more tie scores, with the Vipers bringing the score even for the last time at 95-95, with 25 seconds to go. The Tbirds Will Conroy got the ball from David Noel and took his time to set-up the shot. He dropped the ball, but was able to get it back quickly and score two for the Tbirds, so close to the buzzer. The referees conferred mid-court and announced that the shot was good, but there were still .3 seconds left on the clock. The Vipers inbounded the ball, but ended the game on a bad pass and a win for the Tbirds.

The Tbirds will play the Vipers again tomorrow, Saturday, January 10 at 7:00pm at Tingley Coliseum. The first 500 fans to enter the Coliseum get a free Will Conroy Player Card, and Conroy, a Tbirds Guard, will be available after the game to sign autographs.

For tickets, please call 505-265-DUNK (3865) or go online at www.abqtbirds.com.

The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams. Having recently completed its seventh season, the NBA D-League’s goals are to provide affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 16 teams, as well as continue to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA. As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA, fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played outside the NBA. In fact 15 percent of players on 2008 end-of-season NBA rosters spent time honing their skills in the League. In addition, it has produced current NBA coaches and 25 percent of the NBA’s referees. The NBA D-League is an innovative and rapidly growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing ground for new initiatives like NBA Futurecast, the live web-streaming of all games available free at nba.com/futurecast. The League also provides continuing education and professional development resources for its players, and is committed to serving its local communities through D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts.

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