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Springfield Armor have seven players in double figures as they beat Austin Toros

By Net Income
Chris Marion Photography

In another high scoring context, the Armor started slow, then pressed hard on the accelerator and came away with a 120-94 win over the Austin Toros, the Spurs affiliate.  The Armor had seven players in double figures, led by two newcomers: Khalif Wyatt, just back from China, with 24; and Devin Ebanks, acquired from the L.A. Defenders, who had 20.  Darius Johnson-Odom had his best all-around night, with 13 points and 15 assists.

The Armor are now 14-21, but it will be tough for them to make the D-League playoff. They're six games behind the eighth seed Sioux Falls Skyforce with 15 games to go.

Austin started hot from deep as the Toros connected on four of their first five treys, while the Armor’s offense revolved around the rim with the 6'9" Ebanks and seven-footer Jeff Foote combining for 18 points in the first quarter. Despite a 20-10 edge in the paint, Springfield trailed 33-30 entering the second, but closed the opening frame on a 6-1 run.

Springfield continued it’s "running" in the second as the Armor fell behind Austin 46-42 with just 5:40 to play before the break, but rallied to end the half on a 19-2 clip. Austin’s Flip Murray and Myck Kabongo combined for 23 first-half points, but Foote led all scorers with 14, while Ebanks added 12 and L.D. Williams chipped in 10, just two shy of his season-high.

After being held to just 15 points in the second, the Toros missed 14 shots in the third, while the Armor continued their torrid pace for 35 points to extend their lead to 96-71. Springfield was just 3-3 at home with an edge entering the fourth this season, but the 25-point difference upheld over the final 12 minutes.

The Armor coasted down the stretch to a 120-94 victory with Wyatt adding 10 points by himself in the fourth. Austin’s Charlie Westbrook would not go without a fight, tallying nine of his 14 points in the final frame, but Springfield’s mountain was too tall to climb.

While seven Armor players reached double figures, Johnson-Odom posted the lone double-double with 13 points and a season-high 15 assists, his second points-assists double-double of the season. For the 18th time this year, two Springfield members broke the 20-point barrier behind Wyatt’s 24 and Ebanks’ 20. Williams set a new season-high with 13 points before Willie Reed stole the show in the second half with two acrobatic dunks which added to his 17 points on the night, 12 coming over the final 24 minutes.

Seven of the eight Toros that saw action Thursday night reached double digits, led by Murray’s 15. Despite the scoring spree, only one member of Austin’s squad was able to hit the double-double plateau as Jazwyn Cowan scored 11 and pulled down 10 boards.

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