Springfield Rolls Past Santa Cruz, 94-80
February 21, 2014 - NBA G League (G League)
Springfield Armor News Release
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - With the starting line-up contributing 89 of the 94 points on the night, the Springfield Armor (12-20), presented by MGM Springfield, coasted past the Santa Cruz Warriors (18-13) Thursday evening in The Golden State, 94-80.
The starting backcourt combined for 41 points, while Jeff Foote and Willie Reed each posted double-doubles to couple Adonis Thomas' 21 for the frontcourt, as the Armor began a three-game West Coast swing with a 14-point victory over the hosting Warriors.
Darius Johnson-Odom showed no signs of jet lag in the first quarter, tallying nine points, including the final four of the frame, to go along with four assists as the Armor took a 26-24 lead into the second quarter. Springfield struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 2-of-7 attempts, but the defense held Santa Cruz to just two shots from deep, both misses. Also in the first quarter, Armor forward Adonis Thomas was called for the first technical foul flopping penalty, a rule instituted by the NBA D-League on Wednesday.
Thomas caught fire in the second, leading all scorers in the stanza with eight points to help Springfield extend its lead to five at intermission. Thomas and Johnson-Odom combined for 27 points at the break as the Memphis product led all scorers with 14.
On Santa Cruz's side, Dominic McGuire was the lone scorer in double figures with 10 points through the first 24 minutes, but the Warriors bench kept the home team close with a 17-5 edge over Springfield's reserves.
Springfield dominated in the third quarter, outscoring Santa Cruz 29-18 by holding the Warriors to just 29 percent shooting from the field while the Armor offense hit 56 percent of its shots in the period. The big men aided the offensive effort as Foote and Reed combined for 15 points with Reed grabbing eight boards, seven of which on the defensive glass as Santa Cruz missed 15 shots in the frame.
Three minutes into the fourth quarter and the Warriors finally connected on their first trey of the night, but the Armor continued to keep Santa Cruz in a double figure deficit for most of the frame. The Warriors cut Springfield's lead into single digits with two minutes to play, but the Armor responded by scoring the final six points of the game to salt away the 14-point win down the final stretch.
Johnson-Odom led all scorers with 28 points, while Thomas logged his second straight 20-point game with 21 on the night. Reed and Foote each finished with 13 rebounds for their double-doubles and also protected the tin with a combined six blocks between the two.
The Warriors' three-point shooting was the story on the Santa Cruz offense, combining to go 1-for-22 from beyond the arc as the Springfield defense held its opponent to 80 points, the lowest point total by the Armor's opposition since December 28, 2013.
Springfield will continue its road trip on the West Coast with the second half of a back-to-back against the Warriors on Friday night at 10:00 p.m. EST. The Armor will wrap up their Pacific Rim stint with a 10:00 p.m. EST tip against former coach Bob MacKinnon and the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Monday in L.A. The next home game for Springfield will be a February 27 tilt against the Austin Toros at 7:00 p.m. inside the MassMutual Center, presented by Comcast. For more information on the Armor, visit www.ArmorHoops.com or call (413) 746-3263. Keep up with the Armor on Facebook and Twitter !
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