T-Birds Comeback Bid Comes Up Short Against Los Angeles
March 13, 2010 - NBA G League (G League)
New Mexico Thunderbirds News Release
ALBUQUERQUE, NM - Keith McLeod scored 27 points for the Thunderbirds, but Albuquerque came up short in its final home game of the 2009-10 season, losing to the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Saturday night, 108-101. Trey Gilder added 17 points for the T-Birds while also grabbing a team high 11 rebounds.
Marcus Hubbard added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Albuquerque. Chad Toppert scored 14 points and Antoine Agudio rounded out the T-Birds in double figures with 10.
Albuquerque fell behind early and trailed 57-48 at the half. Los Angeles pushed the lead to as many as 19 in the third quarter, and the T-Birds struggled to find their shot for much of the game.
The D-Fenders lead was 104-92 with 1:04 remaining in the fourth quarter. Albuquerque mounted a furious comeback in the game's final minute, and trailed by just three with 16 seconds to play.
104-101 was as close as the T-Birds got, however, and the D-Fenders scored the game's final four points to notch the seven point victory.
Albuquerque shot 39.8% from the field for the game, while Los Angeles connected on 52.6%.
Ryan Forehan-Kelly led seven D-Fenders players in double figures with 21 points. Joe Crawford added 17 for Los Angeles.
The game was the team's last at Tingley Coliseum. The Thunderbirds will move North to the Santa Ana Star Center for the 2010-11 season.
Albuquerque finishes the season with a record of 12-12 at Tingley Coliseum.
The game's start time was pushed back nearly an hour due to a Los Angeles travel delay.
The team will be in action again on March 16 when they travel to Springfield to take on the Armor. The game will begin at 5 PM, and fans can listen in to the action live on 1050 KTBL.
Contact the T-Birds office to reserve your seats for the 2010-11 season at Santa Ana Star Center. Call 265-3865 or visit www.abqtbirds.com for information.
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