Toros defeat T-Birds at the buzzer
January 21, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
New Mexico Thunderbirds News Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., January 21, 2006- Leaving one second left on the clock Austin Toros Ramel Curry hit the game winning shot from the top of the key, to give the Toros a 108-106 win at Tingley Coliseum Saturday afternoon. In a game that included four lead changes and eight ties, the loss dropped Albuquerque to 12-9 on the season, while the Toros moved to 11-9.
Austin came out quick and took a 10-4 lead and never trailed the entire first half, going into the locker room up 47-50. Albuquerque came out strong in the third taking their first lead of the ball game with 9:00 minutes to play and trailed 79-80 going into the final quarter. The fourth quarter was back and forth giving the fans at Tingley Coliseum an exciting show. But when Curry's shot hit nothing but net the fans went home heartbroken.
"When it came down to the end we were able to get the ball into the right hands," said Austin's head coach Dennis Johnson.
Curry finished the day with an impressive 17 points and seven assists. Austin's Marcus Fizer led all scorers with 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Other double digit scorers for Austin included Scott Merritt (18 points), Ezra Williams (16 points), and Jamar Smith (10 points).
"The crowd really got loud for the final seconds of the game," said Thunderbird head coach Michael Cooper. "It was just a shame we could not come out on top for them."
Utah Jazz guard CJ Miles and Ken Johnson led the Thunderbird charge, both scoring 19 points. Andreas Glyniadakis turned in 16 points, while Joe Shipp scored 14.
A key point in the game came with 3:30 seconds left in the second quarter when Thunderbird center, Marcus Douthit received his second technical foul forcing him to be ejected from the game.
"It really put us at a disadvantage losing Marcus so early in the game," said Michael Cooper. In other news former Thunderbird and current Houston Rocket, Chuck Hayes played 32 minutes (the most of any Houston bench players) and contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds while the Rockets claimed a double overtime win in Chicago last night. Hayes had an impressive block of Kirk Heinrich at a pivotal moment of the fourth quarter.
Thunderbirds are back at home Saturday night as they host Forth Worth. Tip-off is set for 7pm. Austin returns home for a game Thursday night against Arkansas. Thunderbirds tickets start as low as $9 and can be purchased at abqtbirds.com or at Ticketmaster locations. For premium or group seating call the Thunderbirds office at (505) 265-DUNK. The NBA Development League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).
The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up to the NBA on 50 separate occasions. Eleven (11) former D-League coaches, six athletic trainers, 14 referees and 30 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November 2001.
Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.
For more information about the Albuquerque Thunderbirds call (505) 265-DUNK or log on to www.abqtbirds.com.
NBA G League Stories from January 21, 2006
- Bynum leads Dazzle past Fayetteville, 117-110 - Fayetteville Patriots
- Toros defeat T-Birds at the buzzer - New Mexico Thunderbirds
- Tulsa Acquires Matt Nelson - Tulsa 66ers
- D-League daily developments - G League
- Fayetteville Acquires Mateen Cleaves - Fayetteville Patriots
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