Squadron Cruise Past Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Birmingham Squadron cruised past the Iowa Wolves, 124-97, on Monday night in NBA G League action at Wells Fargo.

Birmingham (9-19), which led from start-to-finish, had balanced scoring across the board with seven players in double figures. Daeqwon Seabron had team-high 21 points off the bench. The Squadron shot 51.1 percent (47-of-92) from the floor going 15-of-36 (41.7 percent) from three.

Iowa (8-20), which had just seven available players, was led by Craig Randall II who scored 25 points. Randall II has been the team’s leading scorer the past five games. He added nine rebounds and five assists on Monday night. 

Two-way Matt Ryan was next for the Wolves with 22 points while Phillip Wheeler had 14 points and eight rebounds. Simi Shittu scored 12 points and pulled down a career-high 21 rebounds. 

Birmingham started the game on fire scoring seven-straight points, quickly building a double-digit lead that ballooned to 18 and the team 39-26 after one. 

Iowa opened the second with seven-straight points and later got back within two points with Wheeler’s three-point play with 4:58 before halftime. The teams traded baskets as Iowa was within two points twice more after another three-point play by Wheeler on a dunk and Shittu’s own dunk.

The Squadron though got a three by Malcom Hill and after a missed three by Ryan, Hill was fouled by Shittu with 0.7 seconds left and he made the one for two free throw to take a seven-point lead to halftime, 61-54. Birmingham broke the game back open in the third outscoring Iowa, 29-19, and would lead by 33 in the fourth.

Iowa departs for its final road trip of the season when it visits the Santa Cruz Warriors for a back-to-back series Friday and Saturday. Both games will tip at 9 p.m. CT.