LOS ANGELES -- After spotting the New Orleans VooDoo a 13-0 lead, the Los Angeles Avengers held the New Orleans VooDoo to 29 points the rest of the way and won their season opener, 59-42, before a crowd of 13,209 at STAPLES Center on Friday night.

Avenger quarterback Sonny Cumbie completed 23-of-38 for 268 yards and seven touchdowns as the Los Angeles improved to 5-4 all-time in season openers.

Three of Cumbie’s scoring tosses were to split end Timon Marshall, who signed a free-agent contract with the Avengers in the offseason.  Marshall, who also returns kickoffs, finished with 180 all-purpose yards.

New Orleans starting quarterback Steve Bellisari was 20-of-38 for 210 yards and three scores, before leaving the game with an injury in the second half.

Both quarterbacks threw three interceptions.

Before fans had a chance to sit down, New Orleans wide receiver Wendell Williams returned the opening kickoff 54 yards for a touchdown.

That was followed up by an inauspicious start for Cumbie, who was intercepted on his first pass of the season.

Bellisari, on the other hand, started hot, completing his first six passes and finished off a 45-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Zach Hilton in the back of the end zone to give the VooDoo a 13-0 lead.

The Avengers were able to claw their way back into the game as Cumbie found Marshall, who scored his first touchdown as an Avengers from eight yards out, cutting the VooDoo lead to six.

Following a 20-yard field goal by VooDoo kicker Jonathan Ruffin, the Avengers began the second quarter with a 30-yard drive, which was capped off by Jarrett Hicks’ first AFL touchdown catch.

After both teams traded touchdowns drives, Avenger safety Damen Wheeler made the play of the game with 5:22 to play in the first half.  While Williams was driving for extra yardage after a reception, Wheeler was able to strip the football from Williams and strutted into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown to give Los Angeles its first lead of the game at 28-23 with 5:22 left until halftime.

“I have knack for stripping the ball,” Wheeler said.  “I was coached to tackle the ball, if you do that they can’t go anywhere.”

Unfortunately for the Avengers, New Orleans scored the last 10 points of the first half to recapture the lead.

Cumbie started the second half with a 41-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Marshall that gave the Avengers a 35-33 lead with 13:57 to play in the third quarter.

“We were able to get back into the lead at the beginning of the second half and it snowballed from there,” Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss said.

New Orleans took its final lead of the game on Ruffin’s third field goal of the night.  The 22-yarder put New Orleans up, 36-35, midway through the third quarter, but the VooDoo would not score again until the final minute of the game as the Avenger defense came up with interceptions on three successive drives.

All three of Los Angeles’ defensive backs -- Wheeler, Eddie Canonico and rookie Terrell Maze -- notched their first picks of the season.