The Los Angeles D-Fenders were able to cut what was once a 19-point deficit to as little as one, but ultimately their comeback was too little, too late, as the Rio Grande Valley Vipers held on for a 140-127 victory.
The D-Fenders led by one following the conclusion of the first quarter, but the Vipers used some hot shooting (hitting 41 percent of their 3-pointers in the first half compared to just 24 percent for Los Angeles) to take a 79-61 lead into halftime.
"They were hungrier than us,” D-Fenders Head Coach Coby Karl said during his halftime interview with Kaitlin Ray on Spectrum Sportsnet.