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Toros Earn 94-88 Victory Over Flame

January 3, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release


ESTERO, Fla., January 3 - Leading 74-69 entering the fourth quarter, the Florida Flame went cold offensively over the final twelve minutes as the Austin Toros earned a come-from-behind 94-88 win on Tuesday night at Germain Arena. The Toros held the Flame to just five field goals in the fourth period, forced seven Florida turnovers, and hit nine out of 10 free throws to win their second game in three head-to-head meetings with the Flame this season.

Marcus Fizer led all scorers with a game-high 29 points while Ramel Curry posted 24 points for Austin as the Toros outscored Florida 25-14 in the final stanza. Bracey Wright led the Flame with 25 points, but was held to just three in the second half.

With the win, the Toros (5-7) earned their third victory in their last four games to move within two games of the .500 mark. With the loss, Florida (9-5) fell into a three-way tie for first place in the NBA Development League standings with Arkansas (9-5) and Fort Worth (9-5).

Trailing by six, 80-74, following a Flame free throw from Wright with 7:17 to play, the Toros responded behind the inside tandem of Fizer and Jamar Smith. The two forwards combined for 10 points in a 14-2 Austin run over the next 6:08 capped off by a pair of free throws from Smith, giving the Toros an 88-82 lead with 1:09 left. During the spurt, Florida hit just one of eight shots and committed four turnovers while Austin capitalized.

The Flame closed within two points, at 88-86 with 52.6 seconds remaining following a Dwayne Jones dunk and two free throws from Theron Smith, but that's as close as Florida would get. Alex Scales' 17-foot jumper from the right wing made it a two possession lead for the Toros with 34.5 seconds on the clock and Curry connected on four-of-six free throws in the final 19 seconds to seal the win for Austin and Dennis Johnson in his return to Southwest Florida.

The Toros posted a total of four players in double figures. Along with Fizer's and Curry's production, Smith notched 15 points and Ezra Williams tallied 13 in the victory.

Florida had six players in double figures. Along with Wright's 25 points, Smith and Barrett finished with 12 points apiece while Austin Nichols and George Leach scored 11 points each.

The Flame and Toros will return to action on Thursday, January 5 with a 7:00 p.m. EST tip-off at Germain Arena.

For additional information, please visit floridaflame.com or contact Florida Flame Director of Media Relations, Tim Becwar at (239) 561-8130 and tbecwar@floridaflame.com. For additional information on the NBA Development League please visit NBADLEAGUE.com.

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