Armor Drops 100-94 Heartbreaker in Erie
January 23, 2014 - NBA G League (G League)
Springfield Armor News Release
ERIE, Pa. - The Erie BayHawks (7-16) led by as many as 24 on the night, but the Springfield Armor (6-16), presented by MGM Springfield, mounted a fourth-quarter rally that fell just short in a 100-94 loss Thursday night at Erie Insurance Arena.
Trailing by just one at 14-13 in the first quarter, the Armor were held scoreless for more than four minutes while the BayHawks put together a 16-5 run to close the opening frame and take a 12-point lead into the second period at 30-18. Forward Dennis Horner accounted for 50 percent of Springfield's first-quarter scoring, logging nine points on a 3-of-4 effort from the field, but the Armor shot just 35 percent from the floor as a team, while Erie hit 13-of-23 attempts for the double figure advantage.
The Armor started the second quarter on a 7-2 run, closing the gap to just five, but Erie continued to stifle Springfield's offense. The Armor were held to just 44 points in the first half, scoring seven points within the final minute of the second quarter before entering the locker room down 61-44.
Horner led all scorers at the break with 16 points, missing just three shots (6-of-9) from the floor. Larry Anderson added nine in his first start including a layup at the buzzer to pull Springfield within 17.
Erie's Scott Suggs paced the BayHawks with 15 points, while Justin Brownlee (13 points) and Lewis Jackson (10 points) also reached double figures through the first 24 minutes. The BayHawks combined to shoot 61.9 percent from the floor and hit 7-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc.
In the third, Springfield was able to trim the deficit to single digits, but ultimately entered the fourth down by 10. The Armor defense clamped down toward the end of the frame, holding Erie to just four points over the final five minutes to pull the score to 82-72.
Four minutes into the fourth and Springfield had once again cut the lead to single digits before holding the BayHawks to just two points over the next four minutes, bringing the score within two at 89-87 with less than five minutes remaining. A free throw from center Jeff Foote brought the deficit down to just one point at 93-92 with just over two minutes left, but that would be as close as Springfield would get as Erie put the game away down the stretch, hanging on for a 100-94 victory.
Horner led the way with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Foote also put together a double-double with 10 points and a season-high 15 boards. Anderson finished the night with a season-high 17, using seven free throws for yet another double figure performance, his 10th straight.
Suggs logged 20 points to lead the Erie offense, while four more players finished with double digit scoring totals. The BayHawks' defense blocked 10 Armor shots on the night and pulled down 37 boards on the defensive glass.
The Armor will now return home to face the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Friday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. inside the MassMutual Center for 'Paint it Pink Night.' Friday will featuring an on-court recognition of breast cancer survivors as well as an auction that includes one-of-a-kind memorabilia from both the Armor and Brooklyn Nets to go along with a 50/50 raffle with the proceeds benefitting Rays of Hope. 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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