ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico—Mo Charlo fell just one assist shy of a triple-double for Reno Saturday night, but the effort was not enough as the Albuquerque Thunderbirds slipped past the Bighorns, 97-95, inside Tingley Coliseum.

In a back-and-forth affair that saw 13 lead changes, the Bighorns (5-12) trailed by just a point at intermission and by four to begin the game’s final quarter. Reno managed to take a fourth-quarter lead on Saturday before a Thunderbirds run put Albuquerque (7-9) ahead by 11 points with fewer than four minutes left to play.

The Bighorns would answer with a 9-0 run to pull within a bucket, and a Desmon Farmer three-pointer cut the deficit to one, but that would be as close as Reno would come. The game marked Albuquerque’s fourth-straight win and Reno’s seventh-straight loss.

Rod Benson led the way for the Bighorns with 23 points and 12 boards in 34 minutes of play. Farmer hit four three-pointers on his way to 18 points, and Charlo finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.

Carlos Powell paced Albuquerque with 22 points on the evening. Chad Toppert kicked-in 19 points and Jason Horton recorded 10 assists.

After four-straight on the road, the Bighorns now return home on Tuesday, Jan. 12 to tangle with the Utah Flash. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Reno Events Center. Tickets are on-sale now at www.RenoBighorns.com, the Reno Events Center Box Office, Silver Legacy Box Office, or by visiting any Northern Nevada Ticketmaster location or Web site.

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