Armor lose to Erie, Knicks D-League affiliate

The Armor's defensive woes continued on the road Wednesday when they lost 124-112 to the Erie Bayhawks, the Knicks affiliate, in Erie, PA.

Erie (6-13) started the first quarter on a 15-4 run, due in large part to eight points from Mustafa Shakur, the former Arizona star. The BayHawks used six offensive rebounds and forced six Armor turnovers to build a 34-27 after the first frame. Springfield (5-14) battled back with an 11-4 run in the second quarter and a Justin Johnson buzzer beating three-pointer to cut the halftime deficit to just three.

Shakur finished with a season-high 26 points and added eight assists and five steals. All nine BayHawks who saw action finished with double-figures in the scoring column. Alex Oriakhi and Chris Smith both tallied double-doubles with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Erie. Springfield was paced by Johnson and Willie Reed's 20 point efforts. Darius Johnson-Odom added 18 and Dennis Horner finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Springfield. Adonis Thomas scored 14 but shot and uncharacteristic 29 percent overall.

Shakur deposited seven of his nine third quarter points in the first two minutes and the BayHawks built a 95-73 advantage to start the final period. The Armor went on two separate runs in the fourth quarter to cut into Erie's lead. The first, a 10-2 run, helped bring them back to within 14. Springfield then went on a 12-2 run, cutting Erie's lead to just six before Shakur halted the streak with a three-point play. The BayHawks closed the game on an 11-5 run to finish the Armor off 124-112.

• Game Info: Armor at BayHawks - D-League
• Springfield Armor fall to Erie BayHawks 124-112 in NBA D-League action - Jason Remillard - Springfield Republican