The Austin Spurs faced the Rip City Remix at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park for their penultimate game in their regular season series. After recently clinching playoff contention, this was an important game for the Spurs to maintain energy leading into the postseason.
The Spurs were off to a cold start. Starting center James Banks III tallied three early fouls, leaving head coach Jacob Chance faced with tough decisions to make regarding how to guard 7-foot-1 former lottery pick Yang Hansen and the rest of Rip City’s big men for the entirety of the first half. These harsh adjustments ultimately led to a 20-point explosion from Rip City point guard Chris Youngblood.
However, the Spurs’ second unit kept them in the game. Guard Stanley Umude and guard Jayden Nunn had an efficient performance, combining for 17 first-half points on almost 50.0 shooting. The Remix led the game by six going into the break.
As the third quarter began, it was clear Youngblood intended to continue his offensive onslaught. He scored a three-pointer and three tough buckets inside the arc, widening the lead for his team. However, Spurs guard Kyle Mangas stepped up to the challenge, matching him with his own nine points, including a fastbreak three that got everyone in the arena on their feet. Mangas tallied more points in the third quarter than he did in the first half alone.
Mangas is averaging over 16 points through the season, along with four rebounds and five assists. Ending the third period tonight, he already surpassed each of those averages. The Spurs guard was locked in tonight and was the main reason they were competitive even when trailing most of the game.
“It starts with staying aggressive and confident,” Mangas said. “They switched up their defense on me, … and it starts with our coach, he always tells me to hunt threes.”
Following his highlight quarter, Mangas had no intention of slowing down. He began to score all over the floor, beginning with a tough step-back jumper from behind the charity stripe. However, with 10 minutes remaining, the Spurs were in a 9-point hole and needed to dig deep to escape it.
And dig they did, as Austin continued to chip away at the lead slowly. Even so, the momentum didn’t switch until an insane and-1 backboard three from Mangas. The circus shot cut the lead to four with three minutes remaining. After trailing by as much as 16, victory finally began to seem possible for the Spurs. The pandemonium began, with both teams exchanging buckets like blows in a boxing match.
It was a valiant team effort from the Spurs, as the starters combined for 27 of their 32 total fourth-quarter points. They eventually cut the lead to merely two points, but were immediately deflated after a layup from Hansen, putting the Remix up five with 11.7 seconds remaining in the game.
The night ended with the Rip City Remix victorious over the Austin Spurs 106-101 in a late-game dog fight.
Austin enters the game against the Mexico City Capitanes at an impressive record of 22-13, and head coach Jacob Chance intends to make a statement versus the Capitanes at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park. The Spurs currently sit at 2-0 in the regular season against the Capitanes.
“Get some momentum going into the playoffs,” Chance said, “I really like how we’ve been playing, and I’m trying to close this five-game stretch with a win tomorrow and get ready for whatever’s coming next.”
