Blakeney scores 39, but Windy City Bulls fall to Swarm
The Windy City Bulls dropped their third consecutive game in a 105-101 loss to the Greensboro Swarm on Friday night.
Antonio Blakeney led the way with a game-high 39 points, his ninth consecutive game of 30 or more. Ryan Arcidiacono tallied 17 points and 8 assists, while Jaylen Johnson recorded his sixth double-double of the season with a 15-point, 11 rebound performance. Karrington Ward pitched in with 12 points off the bench, his sixth double-digit scoring effort of the season.
Offense was scarce at the outset as both teams struggled to find the basket. The Bulls opened the game 0-for-6 from the floor, committed 5 turnovers and failed to score in the opening five minutes. Greensboro's offensive woes kept Windy City in the game as the Swarm managed to make just three of their first 11 field goal attempts. With 7:01 remaining, Antonio Blakeney got the Bulls on the board with a pair of free throws. Despite shooting 20 percent from the floor and scoring a season-low 12 points, the Bulls cut a 10-point deficit to seven and trailed 19-12 at the end of the first.
Five players scored in double figures for the Swarm led by Mangok Mathiang who poured in a team-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting along with 11 rebounds. Marcus Paige scored 20 points, all of which came in the second half, while Luke Petrasek registered a double-double of his own with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Archie Goodwin scored 13 and L.G. Gill added 10.
After Windy City drained a three-point basket to open the quarter, the Swarm used a 15-8 run to grab an 11-point advantage, their largest of the night. The Bulls, however, responded with a 15-3 spurt of their own to take a 38-37 lead, their first of the evening. Blakeney sparked the offense scoring 22 of his 39 points in the second. Greensboro managed to make seven shots in the quarter while shooting 12 percent from the three-point line. Windy City outscored the Swarm 30-22 in the period and led by five at halftime.
The Bulls grabbed their largest lead of the night with a 50-41 advantage to start the second half. After holding serve for half the period, the Swarm made a push aided by a Windy City scoreless drought. Mychal Mulder knocked in a three-point shot with 5:53 left to play in the third, but the Bulls would not make another basket and scored just two points on a pair of free throws to close the quarter. Greensboro outscored the Bulls 14-5 in that span to regain the lead, 67-63 heading into the fourth.
After trailing by as many as seven in the final quarter, the Bulls cut the lead to one on a Brandon Wood three-point basket, with 6:05 left. Windy City drew closer as Jaylen Johnson made things interesting down the stretch. A personal 6-0 run on back-to-back three-point plays tied the game at 95, but the Bulls were unable to take the lead. On the ensuing possession, Petrasek nailed a three of his own to give Greensboro the lead for good. The Swarm used the free throw line to seal their seventh victory of the season while extending the Bulls losing streak to a season-high three games.