Gone in a Flash
| Tuesday, Mar 31 2009 10:47 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Apr 01 2009 10:41 AM
Images
Felix Adamo / The Californian The Jam's Trey Johnson gets a step on Utah's JR Giddens as he drvies the baseline.
Felix Adamo / The Californian Bakersfield's Mateen Cleaves loose the handle on the ball as he squeezes by Utah's Kevin Kruger. Cleaves was also fouled on the play.
Special to The Californian
The Utah Flash lived up to its nickname Tuesday night and quickly turned an impressive Bakersfield Jam performance into a devastating defeat.
On the strength of 14 fourth-quarter points by 7-footer Kosta Koufos, the Flash outscored the Jam 23-4 in the opening six minutes of the period and cruised to a 108-92 victory at Rabobank Arena.
"Utah played fantastic and we were not competitive at all, especially in the fourth quarter," Bakersfield head coach Scott Roth said.
Koufos and Morris Almond, both on loan from the Utah Jazz, and Boston Celtics' prospect J.R. Giddens combined for 62 points.
"They're athletic, they're long and they're one of the best defensive teams in the league," Roth said. "They have three NBA guys running around the floor, sprinkled with the talent they already have, so they're a good squad."
With just three games left this season, the Jam dropped into a tie with Dakota for the sixth of eight NBA D-League playoff spots. Bakersfield leads three other teams by just one-half game.
"For me, if we don't get into the playoffs it's a complete failure on my part," Roth said. "I take it personal and for us to collapse like that would definitely be my fault."
The Jam (25-22) took control of the game midway through the first quarter and built a 13-point lead on the strength of 68-percent shooting in the second quarter.
Four Bakersfield players scored in double figures in the opening half, led by Mateen Cleaves' 13 points and six assists. But Cleaves was whistled for three quick fouls in the third quarter, forcing him to the bench at the 4:19 mark and the Jam clinging to a 73-66 lead.
The Flash closed the quarter with a 12-6 run, capped by an inside basket by Ronald DuPree to cut the Jam lead to 79-78.
Utah (27-15), which leads the West Division by a half game over Idaho, took its first lead since the opening minutes on a layin by Giddens just 15 seconds into the final period.
Cleaves returned at the 10:15 mark of the fourth quarter, but Bakersfield's cold shooting continued. The Jam made just 4-of-18 shots in the fourth quarter.
"We shot the ball obviously very well in the first half and we were only up by eight, which is a concern," Roth said. "But they're fighting to get into the playoffs so it was a difficult night for us."
Cleaves and Trey Johnson each scored 21 points.
