truebluefan

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., December 27, 2006 - The Albuquerque Thunderbirds lost their fourth game in a row in dramatic fashion Wednesday night. The Bakersfield Jam, led by Kevinn Pickney's game high 27 points, prevailed in overtime, 107-106.

The Thunderbirds rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter in a game that included 10 lead changes, 4 of which came in overtime. The T-Birds were led by Dijon Thompson's double-double (13 rebounds and 23 points), and Joe Shipp's 21 points.

The Jam recorded their fourth straight victory with 4 players scoring double digits including Brandon Bowman's double-double (10 rebounds, 15 points), and Andre McCollum's 21 points.

Bakersfield shot a stellar 57 percent form the field in the first quarter but found themselves matched by Albuquerque's 55 percent shooting effort. The Jam continued to shoot well in the second quarter, outscoring the Thunderbirds 25-13, to take a commanding 15 point lead to the locker room (55-40).

The lights-out shooting continued for Bakersfield early in the third as they pushed their lead to a game high 22. The Thunderbirds battled back the rest of the quarter with tenacious defense to get within 15 by the end of the third quarter (77-62).

Chris Rodgers was 11-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and helped the Thunderbirds erase a 15 point deficit to force overtime. Albuquerque outscored the Jam 38-23 in the quarter to tie the game at 100 at the end of regulation.

Bakersfield returns home to take on the Los Angeles Defenders on Friday, December 29th, at Rabobank Arena.

The Thunderbirds hit the road for two games at Sioux Falls on Friday, December 29th and at Fort Worth, Saturday, December 30th before returning home on January 5th to take on the Austin Toro's. Game time is set for 7:00pm at Tingley Coliseum and it will be military night, show your Military ID and get in FREE!

The D-League continues to develop talent from across all disciplines for the NBA's 30 teams and the entire NBA umbrella. This season, 19 NBA teams assigned 29 players to D-League affiliates. There were also 18 GATORADE Call-Ups from the D-League to the NBA. Additionally, every referee hired by the NBA since 2002 has worked in the D-League, while coaches, athletic trainers and front office executives are also being developed.

The NBA D-League is composed of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Anaheim Arsenal (Calif.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Los Angeles D-Fenders, Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit NBADLEAGUE.com.

For additional information about the Albuquerque Thunderbirds call (505) 265-DUNK or log on to www.abqtbirds.com.