ONTARIO, Calif., Jan. 2, 2019 – The Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (11-9) cruised their way to a 110-93 victory over the Northern Arizona Suns (3-21) on Wednesday for their second win in two nights.
Clippers forward Anthony Bennett led all scorers with 25 points, knocking down five three pointers, and falling one rebound shy of a double-double.
The Clippers were in command the entire way, trailing only early in the first quarter. They took control of the lead at the 6:49 mark thanks to a Jerome Robinson three pointer and went full steam ahead, taking a 19 point advantage into halftime. Agua Caliente played their best defensive half of basketball this season, holding the Suns to 37 points on 24.5 percent shooting, both season lows for any half by an opponent.
Clippers bigs Johnathan Motley and Angel Delgado each recorded double-doubles and led the defensive effort with a combined seven blocked shots. Motley scored 14 points and pulled down 10 boards while Delgado added a 13 point, 14 rebound performance.
The Suns would not go down without a fight, catching fire midway through the second half. After Agua Caliente took an 80-54 lead, their largest of the night, Northern Arizona got hot and went on a 22-3 run, cutting the deficit to seven. That would be as close as they get, as Bennett scored 11 points in the final 3:23 to seal the game for the Clippers.
Forward Hollis Thompson led the way for the Suns, scoring 19 points and grabbing four rebounds. Aaron Epps paced the bench with 16 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
The Clippers return to action on Friday, looking to remain undefeated in 2019. They will host the Oklahoma City Blue for their third and final matchup this season. Tip off is at 7 p.m. (PST) at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.
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