Long Island Defeats Westchester at Home

BROOKLYN – The Long Island Nets (6-12) topped the Westchester Knicks (9-7) 118-114 today at Barclays Center, earning their fourth win in their last five games.  The Nets are now 1-0 in their season series with the Knicks.

In his 15th game on assignment with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn Nets forward Chris McCullough totaled a game-high 25 points (10-of-15 FG) and a game-high 11 rebounds with three assists in 28 minutes. The double-double marked McCullough’s fifth with Long Island this season.

Forward Trahson Burrell finished just shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes, while guard Yogi Ferrell added 13 points and a game-high seven assists in 31 minutes in the victory. Dwayne Polee II also added 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line in 18 minutes off the bench for the Nets.

Westchester opened the game on a 21-9 extended run and led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter, settling for a 28-22 lead at the quarter’s end.

Long Island answered with a season-high 44 points in the second quarter, shooting 88.2 percent (15-of-17 FG) from the field in the quarter to take a 66-57 halftime lead. McCullough led all scorers with 15 first-half points for the Nets, while Damien Inglis and Keith Wright each posted 10 points for the Knicks.

After the Nets held onto their lead in the third quarter, the Knicks attempted a comeback in the fourth. Westchester went on an 11-3 run to start the period and took their first lead since the second quarter with 8:05 remaining in the game, 98-97, but Long Island held on for the win. The Nets shot 32-of-41 from the free-throw line in the victory and edged the Knicks 26-20 in assists on the afternoon.

Guard Courtney Fells led the Knicks with 21 points, as all five Westchester starters scored in double figures. Wright added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Jordon Crawford scored 16 points in 23 minutes off the bench for the Knicks.

Long Island will travel to Delaware to face the 87ers next on Friday, December 30, at 7 p.m. EST, while Westchester will head to Fort Wayne to play the Mad Ants on Friday, December 30, at 7 p.m. EST.