Losing streak reaches 4 straight as Ignite lose first road game

Without their leader Scoot Henderson, the NBA G League Ignite had its losing streak extended to four straight games after dropping its latest contest.

The Ignite lost to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, 110-107, Friday, Jan. 20 from the Bert Ogden Arena. This year’s developmental group has now lost six of its last eight games. Overall, the team is now 5-7 on the year and are currently slotted eighth in the Western Conference.

This most recent loss to Rio Grande Valley went down as the first road loss for this year’s Ignite team in three tries.

These same two teams will meet again Saturday, Jan. 21 from the Bert Ogden Arena. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. That game will mark the fifth back-to-back game for the Ignite this season.

Rio Grande Valley went on a 10-1 run to close the game and steal a victory away from the Ignite. Earlier in the quarter, the Vipers picked up their first lead since the 35-33 late in the first quarter.

By the end of the game, Rio Grande Valley had won the second half, 52-39.

Prior to the comeback, the Ignite were led by as many as 15 points before the home team went on an 18-5 run to tie the game at 84 points just before the start of the fourth quarter.

In addition to Henderson missing the game, forwards Shareef O’Neal and Leonard Miller also were not in uniform. Center Efe Abogidi is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Needing points, starting guard John Jenkins got things going early. Jenkins rattled off four three-pointers in the game’s opening quarter on his way to 14 points in the first 12 minutes.

It wasn’t until the 6:44-mark of the first quarter that someone else other than Jenkins scored a bucket when center Eric Mika found the bottom of the bucket.

Jenkins finished the game with a team-high 27 points on 10-of-19 from the field including seven threes. Coming into the game, he averaged 17 points per game but had scored 20 or more in the last three outings.

Mika recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds to go along with five rebounds.

Guard Cameron Young scored 20 points off-the-bench as fellow guards Marcus Graves and Sidy Cissoko added 11 points apiece.