SIOUX FALLS, SD – Despite a 49-24 advantage in bench scoring, the Sioux Falls Skyforce dropped their first home game of the season 106-104 to the Texas Legends on Wednesday night at the Sanford Pentagon.
Dakota Mathias (career-high 30 points, 8-10 3PA) knocked down a corner three-pointer with 6.5 seconds remaining in the contest, which gave the Legends (5-3) their first lead since the 3:43 mark of the third quarter.
The Legends got out to a fast 16-4 start, leading by as many as 18 in the opening period. However, the Skyforce (3-6) responded by cutting the deficit to just nine points heading into halftime.
Sioux Falls started the third quarter on a 10-3 run and closed on a 22-7 run. The Skyforce shot 11-of-18 in the quarter and Miami HEAT two-way player Daryl Macon (24 points, six rebounds) surpassed the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season.
The Skyforce jumped out to a 10-point lead with 6:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, holding a 102-92 edge before Texas stole a victory with a 14-2 run to end the contest.
Dallas Mavericks two-way players Antonius Cleveland (19 points) and Josh Reaves (19 points) combined to score 38 points on 13-of-27 shooting in the win, while Nate Mason (14 points) rounded out the bulk of the scoring for the Legends on the night.
In his season debut, Jarrett Jack posted 15 points and five assists, finishing +10 in just 19 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Kyle Alexander (14 points, 10 rebounds) secured his fourth double-double of the season.
Sioux Falls continues its three-game homestand with back-to-back games against the Northern Arizona Suns on Friday and Saturday, November 29 and 30, at 7:00 PM CT. The Suns (4-3) dropped a 132-107 contest to Iowa on Tuesday. The Legends travel to Fort Wayne to take on the Mad Ants (1-7) on Friday at 6:00 PM CT.
(Colin Strombeck, KELO.com News, contributed this report.)
