Albuquerque, N.M., January 5, 2008 – The Albuquerque Thunderbirds pulled off a nail biter defeating the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 89 – 87 on affiliate night. D.J. Strawberry led all scorers with 39 points for the Thunderbirds on 14 for 24 shooting.

Sammy Mejia recorded a double – double in a losing effort for the Mad Ants, 27 points and 11 rebounds. Three other Mad Ants scored in double figures including Corey Minnifield’s 23 points and 8 rebounds.

For the Thunderbirds Josh Gross pitched in 17 points to go along with Ramon Dyer’s 11 points. Strawberry also recorded team highs with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Strawberry got started early in the first quarter with 13 points on 5 for 7 shooting. The Thunderbirds ended the quarter on a 5 – 0 run to pull even with the Mad Ants 23 – 23.

Russell had 10 points in the second quarter for the Mad Ants helping to keep the score tight. Fort Wayne was able to put together a 10 – 1 run over the last two minutes of the second quarter to take a 46 – 40 lead into the break.

Albuquerque opened the third quarter with an 8 – 3 run pulling them within one. Both teams struggled to gain an advantage the remainder of the quarter and after three the Mad Ants led 64 – 63.

Strawberry had 16 points in the fourth quarter including two key free throws with 20 seconds left to put the Thunderbirds up by three. Both teams fought back and forth all quarter, Albuquerque finally secured a lead when Gross hit a three point shot with just over a minute remaining.

The Thunderbirds hit the road for their next four games starting Wednesday, January 10th against the Austin Toros, before returning home to take on the Tulsa 66ers, Wednesday, January 23rd. Game time is set for 10:30 a.m. it will be the first of two school house jam games for the Thunderbirds.

Fort Wayne continues its road trip next Tuesday, January 8th at Colorado before heading to Utah to take on the Flash, January 11th.

Thunderbirds 2007–08 single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at abqtbirds.com, any Ticketmaster location or at the Thunderbirds front office at 111 Lomas Blvd. NE, Suite 240, Albuquerque, NM 87102. For premium or group seating call the Thunderbirds office at (505) 265-DUNK.

The Thunderbirds stay focused on the community by participating in community events such as the Read to Achieve Program as well as D-League Cares. In the past two seasons the Thunderbirds have worked over 3,000 hours in the community, staying dedicated to Albuquerque and New Mexico.

The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams. Now in its seventh season the D-League’s goals are to provide affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 14 teams, as well as continue to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA. As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA, fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played outside the NBA. In fact, former D-League players represented 10 percent of NBA players on 2007-08 opening day rosters, numbering 44 in total. In addition, the D-League has produced 25 percent of current NBA referees and 16 current NBA coaches, including head coach Sam Vincent with the Charlotte Bobcats. The D-League is an innovative and rapidly growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing ground for new initiatives of the NBA and its teams, provides continuing education and professional development resources for its players, and is committed to serving its local communities through D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts.

Individually, the Thunderbirds have had two player call-ups, two front office call-ups, two training staff call-ups and three call-ups from the Storm Chasers Dance and Cheer squad.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the D-League offers NBA-quality basketball and fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit NBADLEAGUE.com