Vipers get defensive in win over Tulsa

HIDALGO - The Rio Grande Valley Vipers brought in a couple of big-name acquisitions, but on opening night it was a pair of returning veterans who made the difference in their 83-82 win over Tulsa on Friday night at Dodge Arena.

Trent Strickland scored a game-high 24 points, and Quin Humphrey made some big plays down the stretch as the Vipers gave first-year coach Clay Moser his first NBA Development League victory.

Strickland and Humphrey are two of a quartet of returnees that join ballyhooed newcomers Smush Parker and Alton Ford on the RGV roster.

"Make no bones about this, those four guys that returned aren't here just because they happened to be here last year," Moser said. "They're here because those guys can play. Quin was solid, not spectacular. Trent was spectacular and really carried the load for us down the stretch, particularly offensively."

Strickland, the Vipers' starting small forward, shot 8-of-13, went 7-of-10 from the line and also pulled down eight rebounds during a strong all-around performance.

"I think defensively in the fourth quarter, at the end of the game, we stepped it up," Strickland said. "I was just trying to go out and give the team a spark and be aggressive on offense."

Humphrey, meanwhile, scored 10 points and had seven boards, but his on-the-ball defense helped hold Tulsa to 38.7 percent shooting from the field.

Nevertheless, the 66ers hung around thanks to the Vipers' own poor shooting from the field (35.4 percent) and the line (59.5 percent). Tulsa actually led 79-78 with 1:52 remaining in following a Derrick Dial jumper (20 points, nine rebounds). The 66ers didn't make a field goal the rest of the way, and Parker showed why he was a starting NBA point guard less than two years ago.

The former Lakers' playmaker gave the lead back to the Vipers with 39.9 seconds left on a lefty layup over 7-footer Steven Hill. Parker then hit three of his next four free throws, including a pair with 3.7 seconds remaining for an 83-80 RGV advantage.

After Tulsa's Terrell Everett hit two free throws (the second one unintentionally) with 1.7 ticks left, Parker (14 points, nine rebounds, six assists) was fouled again. After missing the first he purposely missed the second, allowing the clock to run out on the Vipers' win as a scrum for the rebound ensued. They go for two in a row tonight when they play host to Utah.

"We're still getting used to each other," Humphrey said. "We're just going to keep building. Coach let us know we have attack the glass and play defense, and we'll get what we need on offense."

Todd Mavreles cover the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4451.