LOS ANGELES LIGHTNING RELEASE
By Dave Loveton, Director of Media Relations
dave@losangeleslightning.net
Friday, July 2, 2010
IBL Playoffs
American Bracket semifinal
Game 20 – No. 6 Bellingham Slam 112, No. 3 Lightning 94

Lightning fall in IBL playoffs
Ayer has 25 points, 15 rebounds for cold-shooting L.A.

Travon Lathan Juaquin Hawkins Fred Vinson

PORTLAND, Ore. -- In a matchup of the last two International Basketball League champions, the Bellingham ( Wash. ) Slam used a 36-17 third-quarter advantage to defeat the L.A. Lightning 112-94 on Friday night at Warner Pacific College , bouncing the defending IBL champions in the semifinals of the American Bracket playoffs.

The third-seeded Lightning (14-6) made just 41.5 percent of their shots, including a dismal 15.4 percent from 3-point country (4-26). They also commited 21 turnovers compared to 13 for Bellingham .

“When you get to the playoffs and you come out and don’t have a good shooting night, you’re going to lose,” said L.A. coach Ron Quarterman. “We couldn’t sustain a run, except for that one in the second quarter.”

Chris Ayer had 25 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks for L.A. , which dropped four of its last five after a 13-2 start. “We had a lot of defensive breakdowns and we sputtered on offense,” said Ayer, a 6-11 center from Loyola Marymount. “This was our lowest output of the season. We had a lot of little mistakes that added up and hurt us really big.”

The Lightning trailed 50-38 with 4:40 to go in the first half, then went on a 16-2 run, capped by a three-point play by Ayer that gave L.A. a 54-52 halftime lead.

The Slam regained control with a 21-7 burst to open the third, stretching their advantage to 73-61 on a trey by Brandon Hartley. The Lightning got within seven (77-70) on a 3-pointer by Fred Vinson with 2:20 to go in the third but never got any closer.

Paul Hafford scored 13 straight points near the end of the third period and led the sixth-seeded Slam (14-7) with 26 points and nine rebounds. He helped the Slam bench outscore the Lightning 60-35.

Jacob Stevenson added 16 points, five rebounds, six assists and five steals for Bellingham , which led 88-71 after three quarters. Billy Knight added 23 points and six rebounds for L.A. while Tyus Edney had nine points, six rebounds and 13 assists. Vinson, the Lightning’s top 3-point shooter at 42.6 percent, scored 11 points with four assists but made only 4-19 from the field and 3-15 from long range. He arrived on a plane flight from L.A. just two hours before the game.

“I’m not a big excuse guy,” said Vinson. “I didn’t make shots I normally make. It’s been a long week for me. Flying in today made it a little tougher but there’s no excuses.”

Trayvon Lathan, the third-leading scorer in the IBL at 27.5 per game, had 10 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes. Juaquin Hawkins contributed 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for the Lightning, who were outshot 48 to 37.5 percent in the second half.

“I’m disappointed but I understand why we lost, how we lost,” said Quarterman. “Next year, we have to come back and be in a better position to finish it out.”