Vipers Fall to Toros in Front of Sell-Out Crowd
Published on February 16, 2011 under NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release
HIDALGO, TEXAS - The defending NBA Development League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers fell to the Austin Toros 111-99 on Wednesday at State Farm Arena in front of a sell-out crowd of 6,121, the second largest crowd to ever witness a regular season Vipers home game.
The Vipers (23-11) are losers of two in a row for the first time since December 26-through-27.
After a back and forth first quarter, the Toros (14-19) led by as many as 12 in the second quarter. The Vipers closed the second quarter on a 16-7 run to pull within 52-49 at halftime.
The Vipers tied the game at 54-54 after a pair of free throws by Jerel McNeal in the opening two minutes of the third quarter, marking the first tie since it was 27-27 with 1:05 remaining in the first quarter.
Jeff Adrien hit a basket to give the Vipers their first lead since the first quarter at 63-61 with 6:02 remaining in the third quarter. Jermaine Beal, Leo Lyons and Moses Ehambe hit back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to give the Toros the lead right back at 70-63.
Adrien recorded his 19th double-double in 25 games with 16 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.
The Vipers took the lead back at 90-89 when Adrien hit a jumper with 7:10 to go in the fourth quarter. San Antonio Spurs-assignee James Anderson gave the Toros the lead back with a basket and Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson hit a pair of free throws to make it 93-90. Adrien brought the Vipers within one with a two-handed slam, but Lance Thomas and Anderson hit jumpers to make it 97-92.
The Vipers were led in scoring by McNeal, who scored 25 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Matt Janning scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting including a career-best six three-pointers.
The Toros were led by Anderson, who scored 23 points with six rebounds and four assists.
The Vipers return to action on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. when they kick off a stretch of six-straight road games, starting with the Texas Legends at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco.
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