The Needles Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 matches by 21 points or more this season. They claimed a resounding 76-40 victory over Somerset Sky Pointe on the road. Needles' win was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Leading Needles to victory were Xavier Russell and Luca Walema. Russell scored 21 points along with five steals, while Walema scored 27 points along with six rebounds. Russell has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last nine times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Talon Paget, who scored ten points along with five rebounds.
Needles' win was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-0. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 29.67 points. As for Somerset Sky Pointe, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Needles will finish 2023 at home by hosting Sports Leadership & Management at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Sports Leadership & Management will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in their respective state's rankings (they are ranked 60th in Nevada, while Needles is ranked 14th in California). As for Somerset Sky Pointe, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Cheyenne at 6:30 p.m.