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G League Austin Spurs

Fourth Quarter Rally Propels Toros Over Patriots

February 24, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Austin Spurs News Release


AUSTIN, TEXAS, February 24, 2006 - After almost blowing an 18 point lead in the third quarter, the Austin Toros responded with an 11-2 rally in the final minutes of the game to secure a 122-109 victory over the Fayetteville Patriots Thursday night at the Austin Convention Center. Marcus Fizer led all scorers with 36 points and 11 rebounds as the Toros extended their record to 19-12.

Unforced turnovers plagued the Toros in the early minutes of the game as the Patriots opened play with a 7-0 advantage. The Toros fought back to answer the Patriots' run with a 13-2 surge of their own to gain the early lead, 19-13.

Tied at 30 early in the second quarter, the Toros created space from the Patriots behind the strong play of Jamar Smith. Scoring seven of his 11 points of the game in the quarter, Smith single handedly fueled a 20-14 run to close out the half, 57-52.

"We wouldn't play defense in the first half - it was overall, at all positions on the floor," Toros head coach Dennis Johnson said. "We weren't making a big attempt to stop anybody. Our game plan was just to key on one player."

The Patriots rebounded early in the third quarter following three turnovers in the first three minutes of play. Forward Erik Daniels gave Fayetteville their sixth tie of the game after a fast break slam dunk with 9:18 left in the quarter. But it was Toros shooting guard Ezra Williams that caught fire from behind the ark, connecting on 3-of-4 baskets from the three point range to give the Toros a 16 point lead, 86-70. Williams along with backcourt mate Ramel Curry sparked a 28-10 run to push the Fayetteville deficit to 18 with 1:20 left in the quarter.

"Ezra has range and he is a shooter, it is almost time for everyone to wake up and notice it - he found himself wide open for three or four shots," Johnson said. "It comes back down to a being a good shooting team, if someone gets hot you feed him the basketball and run him dry until you find someone else."

Patriots guard Mateen Cleaves, who rejoined the team today following two 10-day stints with the Seattle Sonics, would not go down with out a fight as guided the Patriots to within four, 105-101, with five minutes left in the game. But the Toros maintained their composure answering the Patriots' fourth quarter surge with an 11-2 run. Fizer scored nine of his 15 fourth quarter points down the stretch to give the Toros a lead that they would not squander.

The Toros finished the game with five players in double figures, including Williams with 24 points on 7-11 shooting and five steals. Denver Nuggets assignee Julius Hodge had 15 points and six rebounds and Smith added 11 points and nine rebounds.

Six players scored double digits for the Patriots including Kaniel Dickens with a team high 22 points. Erik Daniels had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Cleaves recorded a double-double including 10 assists and 16 points.

The Patriots return home to host the Arkansas RimRockers in Fayetteville, NC on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Toros will host the Tulsa 66ers, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25-26 at the Austin Convention Center. Tip off is 1 p.m. for Saturday's game and 3 p.m. on Sunday.

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