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Thunderbirds Grind Out for the Win

February 4, 2006 - NBA G League (G League) - Austin Spurs News Release


Austin, TEXAS - When you're on the road and your shots aren't falling, sometimes just being relentless is all you need to get a win.

With his Albuquerque Thunderbirds (15-11) leading by four points with less than a minute left to play against the Austin Toros, center Ken Johnson snagged an offensive rebound and put the basketball off the glass to extend the Thunderbirds lead to six as they held on for the 91-86 win over the Toros at the Convention Center.

Johnson's offensive rebound was the 16th of the night for the Thunderbirds who finished with 10 second chance points.

After exchanging baskets early to begin the game, the Thunderbirds took advantage of the Toros' miscues to put together a run. Yuta Tabuse was huge in helping Albuquerque open a lead providing a spark off the bench. With Tabuse running the floor, the Thunderbirds closed out the first quarter on a 22-6 run that included a 15-0 spurt.

Albuquerque shot 54.5 percent in the first quarter while holding Austin to just 35.3 percent from the field.

The second quarter started with the Thunderbirds continuing to light the Toros' up from the floor. A few early baskets by Albuquerque and a 3-point basket by Brown gave the Thunderbirds a 15-point lead with 9:51 left in the first half.

Just as Albuquerque got a first quarter spark from Tabuse, Austin got one from Sales in the second quarter. Scales ignited a Toros defense that had struggled in the first quarter as they turned easy Thunderbird baskets into defensive stops.

With Scales leading the way, Austin cut the deficit to six points (46-40) going into the locker room.

"They just out-hustled us tonight," said Austin head coach Dennis Johnson. "When they wanted or needed to get to loose balls, there guys did what they needed to do to come up with the basketball."

Austin (13-12) finished with a better shooting percentage than the Thunderbirds (50 percent to 45.9 percent) but couldn't overcome 21 turnovers as Albuquerque held on for the win.

"Our biggest problem this year has been sustaining leads," said Albuquerque head coach Michael Cooper. "Tonight, I was glad to see that our guys did what it took to hold on to a lead. We responded with great character after loosing the last game out."

Albuquerque guard Tierre Brown paced the Thunderbirds with 17 points and six assists. Darren Brooks and Marcus Douthit added 14 points each with Douthit pulling down a team-high nine rebounds.

Austin forward Marcus Fizer led the Toros' with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field. Alex Scales added 15 points off the bench while Ezra Williams and Scott Merritt chipped in with 14 points each.

The Toros and Thunderbirds face off for the third consecutive game in six days, Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Albuquerque, NM.


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