HORNETS VENOM GT MAKES 2KL DEBUT, RECORDS FIRST-EVER WIN OVER CAVS LEGION GC

Type Records Triple-Double in Game 2; Snubby, Zae Shine in League Debuts

Hornets Venom GT officially made history on the evening of Wednesday, May 6, knocking off host Cavs Legion GC, 2-0, in its first-ever NBA 2K League regular season appearance.

The visitors opened the night by taking Game 1 of the best-of-three remote format, 65-56. Center Xavier ‘Type’ Vescovi kicked off his third 2KL season in style, finishing with 21 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocks. Not to be outdone by the seasoned vet, rookies Justin ‘Snubby’ Stemerman, Alex ‘Expose’ Whelan and Zaeya ‘Zae’ Ishak all scored 14 points in their league debuts.

Hornets Venom GT led by two after the opening frame and made its way into halftime with a 31-25 lead. The advantage continued to creep up slightly until the final horn, despite a team-high 24 points from Cavs Legion GC guard William ‘Strainer’ Morales. Cavs Legion GC finished the outing shooting just 22-of-42 from the field (52.4%) and turned the ball over 16 times.

In Game 2, Hornets Venom GT was out in front again, 20-12, after the first quarter thanks to an 11-point outburst from Snubby. Cavs Legion GC cut the deficit back to seven by the break before getting outscored 21-14 in the third to enter the final frame trailing by 14. Hornets Venom GT stayed out in front the rest of the way, cruising to a comfortable 73-58 decision.

Once again, Type had another spectacular showing, racking up 16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals for the first triple-double in team history. Snubby finished with a game-high 29 points, Zae added another 17 points and Gio ‘Trap’ Elizondo had five steals and a pair of blocks. The squad also recorded a miniscule four turnovers and shot 61.1% in the showing.

Strainer had 24 points for Cavs Legion GC and forward Trevion ‘All Hail Trey’ Hendrix added another 12, all of which came via three-point field goals. Cavs Legion GC cut down on the turnovers a bit in Game 2 (went from 16 to 13), although had just 12 total rebounds in the contest and struggled to create points in transition.

This Hornets Venom GT victory notably marks the first as an NBA 2KL Head Coach and General Manager for Lawrence ‘BiggWest’ West. He previously served as a draft advisor for Hawks Talon GC before joining the organization.

Hornets Venom GT returns to action on Friday, May 7 when they host 76ers GC for a 7 PM EST tipoff. Catch all the action on Twitch.tv/2KLeague, ESPN.com or YouTube Gaming.

By Sam Perley