The Windy City Bulls couldn’t find their way out of a recent skid in a 125-99 loss to the Cleveland Charge on Friday. Guard Ryan Wooldridge took point for the Bulls with 23 points while tacking on six rebounds and seven assists. Tristan Enaruna countered for the Charge with a 25-point double-double in about 32 minutes of play.
Enaruna, a former standout at Cleveland State, pushed the Charge just ahead of the Bulls as he drew first blood for Cleveland with a long-range strike. Though both sides struggled to find their rhythm in the opening minutes, the Charge started to pull ahead behind the efforts of their newest two-way signee in former Raptors 905 big Olivier Sarr. Cleveland would charge out to a 10-point lead before Woolridge put the Bulls on the board with a driving layup. The former Gonzaga guard would end the night with his highest scoring outing of the year in what would be his eighth start with the Bulls.
While the Charge continued to play keepaway with the lead, the Bulls would repeatedly find their way back into contention behind a paint-based attack. The Bulls lackluster long-range game and a handful of turnovers would lead to another surge from the Charge, who would pull away with a 14-point lead by the halftime horn. The Windy City would end the night with a 25.7% clip from the 3-point line, which continued a streak of slow play from the arc since the start of March. The Charge, one of the league’s top shooting squads with a lights-out 49% clip against the Bulls on March 3, continued to stay hot from outside as they countered with 20 makes on 46 tries.
The Windy City moved to 19-21 on the year and 12-14 in the regular season following the Friday-night loss. The Bulls have juggled a perfect .500 record by alternating between wins and losses since the start of their regular-season run, when five Bulls reaching double figures countered a 30-point night from now-Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson. The Windy City’s offense has taken center stage in wins over the Long Island Nets and San Diego Clippers, but their 25th-ranked defense has all but erased other impressive scoring performances, including two against Raptors 905.
The Bulls will move on to face the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who are slotted in fourth place in the Western Conference following a loss to Raptors 905. The Vipers entered Friday on a 3-game win streak, which included a 2-point win over the Toronto Raptors affiliate that kicked off their March schedule. The Windy City has yet to face Rio Grande this season, but split two games against the Vipers during the 2023-24 regular season. The Bulls last faced a Western Conference opponent in January, when they claimed two wins over the Oklahoma City Blue, and have earned a 4-1 record over Western foes during the regular season.
The Windy City Bulls will tip off against the Valley Vipers at 2 p.m. CST on Sunday in NOW Arena. The game will be broadcast on CHSN.
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