AUSTIN – An emphatic dunk by Jaron Blossomgame fueled a late comeback, but the Austin Spurs still fell short on Saturday night, losing to the Salt Lake City Stars by a final score of 102-97.
Olivier Hanlan led the way for Austin with 28 points on 14 shots. Darrun Hilliard managed 19 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench. And Blossomgame also had a solid game with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Four players scored in double figures for the Stars led by Tony Bradley’s 28 points and 12 rebounds. Jermaine Taylor scored 24 points off the bench in just 22 minutes. Naz Mitrou-Long put up 16 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Nate Wolters wrecked shop with 12 points, five rebounds and nine assists.
Both teams came in on the back end of a back-to-back, but only Austin looked tired early on as the Stars used a 9-0 run to start the game.
An 8-2 run by the Spurs gave Austin a chance to regain control, but the Stars never relented, taking a 31-20 lead into the second quarter.
The Spurs managed to hold Salt Lake City to just 32 percent shooting in the second quarter, but still trailed 52-44 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Stars pushed their lead out to 21 points thanks in part to a dominating quarter by Tony Bradley.
Despite the late comeback attempt after Blossomgame’s poster dunk, the Spurs failed to secure a lead at any point on Saturday night, dropping their second straight game.
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Austin Spurs (8-5) vs. Iowa Wolves (2-7)
Tuesday, Dec. 5 – 7:00 PM CST
Wells Fargo Arena – Des Moines, IA
