Springfield Falls to Iowa in Shootout, 143-132
January 9, 2014 - NBA G League (G League)
Springfield Armor News Release
RENO, Nev. - In the final game of the 2014 NBA D-League Showcase, Darius Johnson-Odom exploded for 20 points in the fourth quarter, but the Springfield Armor (4-13), presented by MGM Springfield, were unable to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit in a 141-132 loss to the Iowa Energy (12-5) Thursday night.
After falling behind by more than 20 in the second half, the Armor rallied to cut Iowa's lead to just seven in the final stages of the game, but the Energy's early scoring spree put Springfield in too large of a hole.
Thursday night started the same as Wednesday as the Iowa Energy took a page from the Reno Bighorns' book, knocking down five three-pointers on 10 attempts in the first frame as the Energy grabbed a 41-28 lead after the first 12 minutes. Iowa jumped out to a seven-point advantage to start the game, keeping the Armor in the rear view for the entire first quarter.
Iowa outscored Springfield by just one in the second quarter, but the Energy were able to take a 75-61 lead into the locker room behind Shabazz Muhammad's 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Iowa's Jarvis Varnado added 13 on a 6-of-9 effort from the field, while the Energy knocked down eight treys over the first 24 minutes. Iowa's 75 first-half points broke the Armor's all-time record for points by an opponent in the first half, eclipsing Bakersfield's 74 scored on February 5, 2011.
Dennis Horner led Springfield with 14 points, while Darius Johnson-Odom used a 5-of-6 effort from the charity stripe for 13 first-half scores. As a team, the Armor shot 52.5 percent from the field, but Iowa's hot shooting from beyond the arc gave the Energy a 14-point lead at the break.
The Energy pushed their lead to more than 20 in the third and entered the fourth quarter nursing a 19-point cushion with just 12 minutes left in regulation. Springfield finished the first 75 percent of the game with two 20-point scorers as Horner reached 22 before the final frame, while Johnson-Odom tallied 21.
The Armor stormed back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to as small as seven, but Iowa seemed to answer every Springfield rally en route to the 143-132 victory. Johnson-Odom scored 20 points in the fourth, knocking down a franchise-record 41 on the night (13-of-25 shooting), but the 14 treys and a 14-point halftime lead held for the Energy.
Horner finished with a season-high 30 points on an 11-of-19 effort from the field, while Justin Johnson racked up 19 off the bench for Springfield. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field with the Armor going 46-of-90 (51.1 percent) on the evening. The teams combined to go 71-for-95 from the free throw line as a total of 55 fouls were whistled.
Varnado paced the Energy with 25 points, while Muhammad finished with 22.
The Armor will now return home to host the Delaware 87ers on Saturday, January 11 at 7:00 p.m. for Country Western Night inside the MassMutual Center featuring lasso competitions, a pie eating contest and a costume contest for the chance to win a pair of tickets to Justin Moore's upcoming Off The Beaten Path tour. 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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