With 40 seconds remaining in the game, Rip City Remix guard Javonte Cooke drove to the basket with his team only down by two points. Just as the ball left Cooke’s hand, it met Austin Spurs forward Harrison Ingram’s in what would be the game-clinching block, ending in a 99-93 victory for the Spurs.
Ingram was everywhere on the floor for Austin on Wednesday night, creating space, grabbing boards and never giving up on the ball. He ended the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds, a double-double to go with plenty of unrecorded “hustle” plays. Ingram played like he had a chip on his shoulder, with only two more games remaining in a tight Western Conference.
“I think he has a unique skill and a nose to the ball; that’s his weapon that he brings to the floor every night,” head coach Jacob Chance said. “Yeah, I love when he’s motivated to get on the glass, both offensively and defensively.”
Austin created multiple extra opportunities for themselves, out-rebounding Rip City, a team known for its size and crashing the glass attack, which led to 19 second-chance points for Austin. The Spurs’ ability to limit the Remix’s possession was a big part of the late-surge win.
“I think we’ve been the best rebounding team in the G-League for the last 10 games, so it’s been a huge focus for us,” Chance said. “It’s a five-guy effort — well, it’s really an 11-guy effort, with everyone that plays.”
Rip City had a hard time resetting its defense following the rebounds, leading to another lights-out scoring performance by Spurs guard Kyle Mangas, who finished the game with a team-leading 26 points and five threes. Mangas continues to have a great March and finish to the season, especially from the three-point and free-throw line.
“That’s our shooter (Mangas). He has a green light, utmost confidence (from) all of us,” Ingram said about his teammate after the game. “He’s open. Give him the ball.”
While the Remix wasn’t able to keep up with the pace of the Spurs, Austin was able to keep pace with the teams it was competing against for the final two home-court advantage spots in the G-League playoffs. Following the victory, the Spurs are still in a three-way tie for the third seed with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Stockton Kings. While Austin has been one of the better teams on the road in the league this season, it’s safe to say it would still prefer to be in front of its home crowd for the first matchup of the tournament.
“Well, I got my mom in town, so it’d be nice to not go on the road,” Chance said about getting home-court advantage. “She’s traveled all the way ahead to see me, so it’d be nice to be here for a little bit longer.”
The Spurs will host the Rip City Remix again for their penultimate game on Friday at 7 p.m. at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas.
