March 8, 2015

CHICAGO – The Bloomington Flex used a 29-10 run in the fourth quarter to come back from a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat the host Chicago Force 100-94 at the Ray & Joan Kroc Center Sunday, improving their Midwest Professional Basketball Association-best record to 11-2 to maintain a half-game lead over the Champaign Swarm.  The Force fell to 3-12.

                    The Flex opened up a ten-point lead in the first quarter, and the game appeared to be a repeat of Friday’s contest, when the Flex ran away from the Force in Bloomington.  But the pace favored the Force, with the Flex taking only an 18-12 lead after the first quarter.

                    The Force continued to chip into the lead, eventually tying it at 27 on a Derrick McDonald jumper with 6:45 to play in the half.  The Force then assumed the lead at 33-31 with five minutes left, giving them an advantage they would hold for most of the game.  The first half ended with the Force up 47-38.

                    Bloomington came out of the locker room after the half and cut the lead down to two, but the Force answered with a 10-2 run of their own, and extended the lead to 13 at 74-61 late in the third before the period ended with Chicago up 76-66.

                    The Force scored first in the fourth quarter, but a flagrant foul called against Ronnie Carlwell at the 10:40 mark sparked the Flex to a 29-10 run, during which they took their first lead at 85-84 with 5:45 left on a floater in the lane by Justin Bocot.

                    Bloomington continued its run to build a seven-point lead, however, an Antoine Ware free throw with :53 remaining drew the Force to within one at 95-94. An intentional away-from-the-ball foul with 11.8 seconds left against Chicago’s John Taylor gave the Flex the ball after a free throw by Abraham Millsap, and the Flex closed out the Force with a late layup.

                    Bloomington’s Justin Bocot led all scorers with 34 points, but Anthony Slack’s 17 points and 23 rebounds had the biggest impact on the game.  McDonald led the Force with 23 while Taylor, making his Force debut, scored 22.

                    Bloomington is next in action on Thursday, March 12 against the Champaign Swarm in Bloomington.  Chicago plays on Friday, March 13 at home against the St. Louis RiverSharks.