Thunderbirds fall to Toros
February 7, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
New Mexico Thunderbirds News Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., February 7, 2006- In a game that included six lead changes and nine ties, the Austin Toros defeated the Albuquerque Thunderbirds 95-79 at Tingley Coliseum on Tuesday night. The loss drops the Thunderbirds to 15-12 on the season, and the win moves the Toros to 14-12.
The first quarter was back and forth with no team able take a lead of more than four points. Albuquerque was able to take a 20-18 lead into the second quarter but would go into halftime down 36-44.
Austin gained control of the game in the third quarter and grabbed a 61-44 lead and appeared in control, until Thunderbird head Coach Michael Cooper was ejected from the game after picking up two technical fouls. The ejection came with 12 seconds left on the clock in the quarter. The third ended with Austin up 69-52, but the Thunderbirds came out with some energy in the fourth scoring the first nine points, cutting the lead to eight and giving the home crowd something to cheer about. However the push fell short as Austin regained control of the game and cruised to the victory.
Ramel Curry (Toro Forward) led all scorers with 18 points and was followed by Marcus Fizer who scored 16 points (10 rebounds). Ezra Williams turned in an impressive 13 points.
"We came out and played hard tonight," said Toro head coach Dennis Johnson. "We really needed this win tonight."
Leading the Thunderbird charge was center Andreas Glyniadakis, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds. Marcus Douthit also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Other Thunderbirds to score in double figures were Tierre Brown (12 points), and Brandon Mason (12 points).
"We made a solid charge in the fourth, but just came up short," said Thunderbird assistant coach, Larry Smith.
The Thunderbirds head to Florida this week to face the first place Florida Flame, and are set to be back at Tingley Coliseum February 24th and 25th to face the Roanoke Dazzle. Both games are set to tipoff at 7pm.
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-eight (38) players have been called up to the NBA on 56 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.
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NBA G League Stories from February 7, 2006
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