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Taylor Leads Armor over Erie BayHawks

March 19, 2013 - NBA G League (G League)
Springfield Armor News Release


Springfield, Mass. - The Springfield Armor, presented by MGM Springfield, defeated the Erie BayHawks 102-96 tonight at the MassMutual Center. The Armor have now won six of their last seven games on their home court.

The Armor (17-25) jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead over the visiting BayHawks (23-21), fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Kris Joseph and four points from Brooklyn Nets' assignee Toko Shengelia. The Armor led by as many as 14 points (22-8) in the opening quarter and held a 27-15 lead at the end of the first behind a stingy defensive effort that held Erie to 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) shooting and forced seven BayHawks' turnovers. Springfield knocked down 10-of-25 shots (40.0 percent) in the first, with Joseph pouring in 10 points and Shengelia adding eight points.

Erie still trailed by double digits early in the second quarter, but an 11-0 BayHawks' run in less than two minutes, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from Chace Stanback, evened the score at 34-34 at the 6:10 mark. The Armor's Tyshawn Taylor, also on assignment from the Brooklyn Nets, scored four of the next six points to put Springfield back in front. The BayHawks got as close as one-point late in the quarter, but the Armor ended the half by scoring six of the final seven points, capped by a pair of free throws from Shengelia, to take a 53-45 lead into the locker room. Stanback (12 points) and Keith Benson (10 points) combined for 22 of Erie's 30 points in the second quarter, while Taylor tallied nine points to lead Springfield.

The third quarter was tightly contested, with both teams shooting well from the field. Springfield buried 10-of-16 shots (62.5 percent) in the period, while Erie connected on 10-of-20 (50 percent). The BayHawks methodically erased the Armor's eight-point halftime lead and earned their first tie of the half (65-65) at the 5:02 mark of the quarter. After the two teams exchanged baskets to keep the game tied (70-70), Joseph knocked down back-to-back shots from behind the arc to give Springfield a six-point cushion, and the Armor held on to a 77-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The BayHawks seized their first lead of the evening on a Stanback three-pointer at the 10:10 mark of the fourth quarter and that sparked an 11-2 Erie run to shift the game's momentum and give Erie a 90-81 lead with 5:55 to go. The Armor got the lead down to three points on a pair of Carleton Scott free throws and Joseph's fifth three-pointer in as many attempts, but a Cory Higgins free throw and a Demonte Harper three-point play pushed the BayHawks' advantage back to seven points (94-87) with 3:33 to go. From there, the Armor began to chip away. Taylor sank a pair of free throws and the NBA D-League's reigning Performer of the Week, Willie Reed, followed with back-to-back baskets. Trailing by just one point (94-93), Taylor swiped the ball from Harper near midcourt and finished a layup in transition to put the Armor back up by one. After a missed jumper from Stanback, Taylor drained a long three-pointer to put the Armor up four (98-94) with 1:21 to go. Erie's Higgins responded with a jumper and after Joseph split a pair of free throws for Springfield, the Armor's lead was 99-96 with 37 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, the Armor forced a turnover and Taylor followed by burying another three-pointer to ice the victory. Taylor finished with 11 points in the period to lead the late comeback.

Taylor led all scorers tonight with 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting to go along with seven assists, four steals and just two turnovers in 31 minutes. Joseph added 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc, in 35 minutes, Shengelia chipped in 17 points in 32 minutes and Reed recorded his fourth straight double-double (and 10th of the season) with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds.

Erie's Higgins scored a team-high 22 points in 38 minutes, Benson scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes, Henry Sims poured in 16 points in 24 minutes and Stanback knocked down five-of-six from downtown and tallied 16 points in 32 minutes.

The Armor return to action on Thursday at 7:00 pm when they host the defending NBA D-League champion Austin Toros. The BayHawks will return home Saturday when they host the Rio Grande Valley Vipers at 7:00 pm.

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