Windy City Bulls lose to Delaware despite 29 points from Liddell

The Windy City Bulls fell 116-97 to the Delaware Blue Coats in their regular-season opener on Friday night.

Chicago Bulls two-way forward EJ Liddell led Windy City with 29 points, going 7 of 9 from 2-point range. Liddell also added 3 blocks, the sixth time he has had three or more this season.

Windy City Bulls rookie forward Marcus Domask recorded 17 points, his second-highest mark of the season, and three 3-pointers. Guard Ryan Arcidiacono tallied 12 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds to round out the Bulls’ effort.

Delaware opened the matchup with an 8-point advantage after the first quarter. Windy City hit back in the second, though, thanks to Liddell. Liddell had 10 points and two 3-pointers in the period, helping the Bulls enter halftime up 51-48. The Blue Coats quickly regained the lead in the third quarter, shooting 71% from the floor. Philadelphia 76ers two-way guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. scored 14 points in the period to give Delaware an 84-75 lead. The Blue Coats then pulled away in the fourth, shooting 6 of 11 from beyond the arc.

Dowtin Jr. led all scorers with 34 points on a team-high 20 shot attempts. Delaware guard Marcus Bagley also chipped in with 20 points and 3 blocks. Blue Coats center Isaiah Mobley ended with 14 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.

With the loss Windy City drops to 0-1 in the regular season, while Delaware begins 1-0.

Windy City and Delaware meet again Saturday evening for the second game of the back-to-back. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NBA G League TV on Tubi.