Armor's Comeback Falls Short in 100-95 Loss to Red Claws
Published on March 23, 2014 under NBA G League (G League)
Springfield Armor News Release
PORTLAND, Maine - After falling behind by 26 points in the first half only to take a lead late in the fourth, the Springfield Armor (20-26), presented by MGM Springfield, dropped a hard-fought 100-95 decision to the Maine Red Claws (19-25) Sunday afternoon at the Portland Expo.
The Armor struggled early on the offensive end, shooting just 17 percent in the first quarter and 39 percent for the first half as Springfield fell into the 20-point hole. After a season-low 12 points in the first quarter, Springfield's deficit reached 26 four minutes into the second after the Red Claws went ahead 41-15. From that point, the Armor strung together a 16-0 run that spanned nearly four minutes to pull within 10.
The hot-shooting Red Claws used eight three-pointers over the first two quarters to build a 56-44 lead entering the locker room. Springfield erupted for 32 points in the second as Bruce Massey and Lorenzo Brown each tallied nine in the frame for 18 off the bench with 24 of the 32 points coming from the reserves.
Maine extended its lead back to 22 in the third, but 10 more points from Brown and a 26-10 run to close the final seven minutes of the quarter helped Springfield claw within just six entering the fourth, 79-73.
The Armor continued to creep closer, bringing the deficit down to just one after L.D. Williams connected on his fourth three-pointer of the day with 5:07 to play. On the next possession, Adonis Thomas floated in a layup to give Springfield its first lead since the first quarter at 93-92.
The Red Claws would tie the game at 95 before a three-pointer by Abdul Gaddy, the only trey of the second half for Maine, with 55 seconds left created separation between the two teams on the scoreboard. After a pair of misses by the Armor on the offensive end, Daniel Orton drilled two free throws with 13 seconds remaining to seal the Red Claws' victory.
Brown led the Armor with 23 points, while Willie Reed turned in his 11th straight double-double with 20 points and 18 boards. Springfield cooled from beyond the arc in the second half, going 4-for-18 after a 4-of-8 start from long range. Williams finished with 17 off the bench on a 4-of-12 clip from three-point land.
The Red Claws used a balanced scoring attack for their 19th win, putting six of the eight players to see action in double figures, led by Gaddy's 19 points off the bench. Maine hit 9-of-18 three-pointers and 85 percent of its shots from the foul line to outlast Springfield.
The Armor will now idle until March 28 when the team travels to Fort Wayne to take on the Mad Ants at 7:30 p.m. EST. 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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