HIDALGO, Texas -- In the opening night of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 2012-13 season, the Vipers fell 115-113 to the Bakersfield Jam at State Farm Arena.
Jeff Adrien scored a double-double 17 points, 11 rebounds for RGV. Houston Rockets assignments Donatas Montiejunas scored 31 points and Scott Machado tallied 20 points. Vipers draft picks Chris Johnson notched 11 points, while Mike Singletary added 10 points.
Bakersfield was led by Brian Butch with a double-double 14 points, 15 rebounds. The Jam saw seven players record double figures in scoring. Renaldo Major scored 20 points, followed by Damion Jones with 18 points.
During the first half, the Vipers held their largest lead of 14 points, 40-26 midway through the second quarter, but a balanced effort by the Jam quickly cut into the lead. A jump shot from James Nunnally put the Jam up 44-43. A shot from behind the arc by Butch gave Bakersfield a 58-49 advantage over Rio Grande Valley at the half.
The Vipers fought back throughout the third quarter and tied up the game at 82 points with 2:13 on the clock. A layup from Johnson gave the vipers an 85-84 lead over the Bakersfield , but two free throws from Jerel McNeal put Bakersfield up 86-85 at the end of the third quarter.
Bakersfield held the lead throughout most of the third quarter. With three minutes left, the Vipers fought back. Machado made back-to-back shots, with Montiejunas and Adrien also connecting. Montiejunas tied the game at 113 with 0:57.8 on the clock. Free throws from the Jam secured Bakersfield's 115-113 win.
The Vipers will be back action again Saturday night against the Jam. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
The NBA Development League, the NBA's official minor league, is now on YouTube, showing more than 350 live games on the NBA D-League YouTube Channel and nba.com/dleague. Fans can watch the league's 16 teams and get a glimpse at the players, coaches and officials competing to ascend to the NBA's ranks. With 20 percent of players in the NBA at the start of the 2012-13 season boasting NBA D-League experience, the NBA D-League YouTube Channel is the best place to see the future now.
The NBA D-League season is made up of 50 regular-season games plus a postseason and runs from November to April. The league consists of 16 teams for the 2012-13 season: Austin Toros, Bakersfield Jam, Canton Charge, Erie BayHawks, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Idaho Stampede, Iowa Energy, Los Angeles D-Fenders, Maine Red Claws, Reno Bighorns, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Santa Cruz Warriors, Springfield Armor, Texas Legends and Tulsa 66ers.
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