Sky Chiefs Down Jersey, Win Inaugural Home Opener 110-104

Sky Chiefs Down Jersey, Win Inaugural Home Opener 110-104

The Providence Sky Chiefs (1-1) defeated the (0-1) Jersey Express 110-104 in their inaugural home opener Sunday afternoon in front of an enthusiastic crowd of just over 1000 people at Rhode Island College's Murray Center. The victory is the Chiefs first of the season and the first in franchise history. 

"It was Important to win the first home game, especially since we are a new organization. The fan support was great today, great that we got the W" said Chiefs head coach Kyle Ivey-Jones about the win.  

Bouncing Back

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A major point in the game came early in the third quarter when the Jersey Express, who trailed 60-43 at halftime, quickly cut into the Sky Chiefs lead using some full court pressure. They were able to turn the Sky Chiefs over getting easy baskets, very quickly. The Express cut their deficit to 62-54 with ten minutes to play in the quarter when the Chiefs Shane Da Rosa, from Shea High School, hit three pointers on back to back possessions boosting the Chiefs lead back up to 68-54. In their first game of the season, the Sky Chiefs built up a huge lead early on and lost it then lost the game, so this was a crucial sequence.

"We learned we gotta take care of the ball at all times, turnovers in the back court cost bonus points" Ivey-Jones said, referring to the ABA's 3D rule where if a team turns the ball over in the back court, the team that forces the turnover gets to add an extra point to whatever the result of their score is. So for example, a two point basket with the 3D rule in effect turns into a three point basket. 

"Tonight, we understood that, knocked down our foul shots and got the win" Ivey-Jones added about his team's bounce back performance from a heartbreaking loss on the road in the first game of the season. 

Leading The Way

Leading the way for the Sky Chiefs was Mark Alexander who put up twenty points in the game to lead all scorers, he also added seven rebounds and two assists. Shane Da Rosa followed him up closely with 19 points, going 3 for 7 from behind the arc. The Sky Chiefs only shot 25.7% from three point land as a team in the game. 

The Jersey Express, led by Sam Furr with 16 points, made a late run in the game but the Sky Chiefs were able to hit their free throws down the stretch and hold on for the win. The Express's Jason Smith added 15 points and 7 assists of his own in the losing effort. 

On to the Next One

The Sky Chiefs next game is a home game on November 15th at 6 p.m. against the Jersey Express. Click Here for tickets!