Armor Fall in Season Opener at Maine 108-95
Published on November 23, 2013 under NBA G League (G League)
Springfield Armor News Release
PORTLAND, Maine - After starting the game on a 13-2 run, the Springfield Armor (0-1) were unable to withstand a second-half surge by the Maine Red Claws (1-0) in a 108-95 season-opening loss Friday night.
Despite a pair of double-doubles by forward Willie Reed and center Jeff Foote, the Armor dropped to 3-18 all-time in Portland, Maine with Friday's defeat. Reed tallied 16 points and led the Armor with 14 boards, while Foote added 16 points of his own and 12 rebounds off the bench. After climbing up by 11 over the first five minutes of the game, Springfield held just a five point lead (31-26) at the end of the first quarter as the Red Claws outscored the Armor 24-18 over the final seven minutes.
Maine continued to battle back in the game and eventually took a one-point advantage at the nine minute mark of the second quarter, leading the Armor 36-35. Springfield kept within striking distance the rest of the half and added two free throws by guard Lance Hurdle just before the break to claw within five at 54-49.
Though the Armor were able to keep the deficit within single digits through most of the third quarter, the Red Claws pulled away by using a 10-2 run to close the period and grab an 85-70 lead heading into the fourth.
The Armor caught fire early in the fourth quarter as a jumper by Springfield's leading scorer on the night, guard Gary Forbes, ignited a 12-5 run that brought the Armor within eight at 90-82 with 8:35 remaining. Forbes went on to score 18 points on the night over a team-leading 33 minutes on the floor.
With their lead in single digits, the Red Claws defense locked down and held the Armor scoreless over the next three minutes while Maine increased its advantage to 97-82 before a layup by guard Bruce Massey ended the scoring drought for Springfield.
The Red Claws closed out the final five minutes to take the season opener by a final score of 108-95. Along with Forbes, Reed and Foote, guard JamesOn Curry also reached double figures with 10 points on the night, while Hurdle and forward Adonis Thomas added nine off the bench.
Maine forward Chris Wright led all scorers with 27 points on the night and fell one board shy of a double-double, while Red Claws guard Jermaine Taylor also crossed the 20-point threshold with 22 points out of the backcourt. Springfield held a slight edge in the rebounding facet, 49-47, but the Red Claws knocked down 10 treys on the evening, shooting the ball at a 38.5 percent clip (10-26) from beyond the arc.
The Armor travel to Canton, Ohio to face the Charge for two consecutive games on Friday, November 29 and Saturday, November 30 to wrap up the three-game road trip to start the season with each game starting at 7:00 p.m. EST. Springfield opens its home schedule on Friday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m. with Opening Night, presented by MassMutual against the Idaho Stampede which will feature a magnet schedule giveaway for the first 4,000 fans inside the MassMutual Center. 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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