CEDAR PARK – The silver and black took a bit of a stumble this afternoon as the Rio Grande Valley Vipers defeated the Austin Spurs 117-103 this afternoon in front of 4,322 fans at the Cedar Park Center.
Leading the way for the Spurs was Deshaun Thomas, who put up a spectacular double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six assists and three steals. Also for the Spurs, dunk contest participant Keifer Sykes added in 16 points and five rebounds. Julian Washburn chipped in 14 points in 40 minutes.
As for the Vipers, it was an incredible shooting performance which led to five players scoring in double figures. Rio Grande Valley’s Will Cummings scored 24 points while adding in three rebounds and seven assists. Raphiael Putney and Donatas Motiejunas scored 23 and 19 points, respectively, with K.J. McDaniels chipping in 18 points on four three-pointers. The Vipers as a team shot 52% from the field and 57% from beyond the arch, knocking down 17 of their 30 three-point attempts.
It was a defensive struggle for the Spurs, who managed to keep the game close in the first quarter down 28-25. But a quick 10-0 run in the second quarter by the Vipers, led by K.J. McDaniels, helped push the Rio Grand Valley lead up to 15 by halftime.
The Spurs offense would eventually keep pace with the Vipers, thanks to Thomas scoring 12 of his 29 points in the third quarter, but troubles on defense and a plethora of turnovers eventually doomed the Spurs as the Vipers shot a season-high in three point and free throw percentage.
The Austin Spurs (19-11) will get another shot at winning before the All-Star break on Wednesday versus the Texas Legends (16-14). Tipoff is at 7 PM CST from The Dr. Pepper Arena.
