BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Bellingham Slam used a sustained effort and 32 points from Ryan Diggs as they defeated the Central Oregon Hotshots, 140-112, in an International Basketball League game Friday night at Whatcom Pavilion.
The victory was the Slam's ninth consecutive, pushing their record to 11-2 and solidifying their position in first place in the IBL's West Division.
After an even first six minutes, Bellingham used a 20-8 run over the rest of the quarter to post a 32-20 lead after the first quarter.
The Slam furthered their lead with a 38-point second quarter to push their advantage to 25 points, at 70-45, at halftime.
Bellingham came out dominant in the third quarter, opening with a three-pointer by Ryan Diggs sandwiched between dunks by Lukas Henne and Brian Dennis.
With the Slam's reserves seeing most of the action in the fourth quarter, Bellingham used a 14-1 run to push their lead to 31, capping the rally with a three-pointer from Paul Hafford off a nifty Charlie Van pass.
Diggs' 32 points earned him game-high scoring honors, while Tyler Amaya added a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Amaya narrowly missed a triple-double with eight assists.
Central Oregon was led by 28 points apiece from Terry Horton and Chris Nixon. The Hotshots tied a season low with 112 points scored.