Charlotte Hornets

Raptors 905 Close Out Greensboro Swarm

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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In a tight game, the Greensboro Swarm fought to the very end, but the Raptors 905 successfully closed out the Swarm on the road.

Brady Heslip dropped 23 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with a minute left in regulation, and seven assists to propel the Raptors 905 (7-2)  to a 106-104 road victory over the Greensboro Swarm (3-8). Axel Toupane contributed 23 points off the bench for the Raptors, who had four players score in double figures and three more score nine points.

The game was a tight one, with neither team gaining more than a 10-point advantage throughout. Aaron Harrison (15 points on 5-16 shooting) and Christian Wood (six points on 3-9 shooting, seven boards) struggled for the Swarm in their first game back. Both players were re-assigned to the Swarm on Monday night and took their respective spots in the starting lineup.

Greensboro was once again led by Xavier Munford, who dropped 23 points and six dimes and hit four three-pointers. He was followed by the stat sheet by Archie Goodwin (21 points, five boards, five assists) and Mike Tobey (19 points, six boards). Damien Wilkins scored nine points, six assists, and four rebounds off the pine for the Swarm.

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The game went back and forth over the first three periods. After trailing 27-21 after the first quarter, the Swarm outscored the Raptors 25-22 in the second to go into intermission trailing 49-46. The Raptors led 79-72 after three-quarters and dropped 30 points to Greensboro’s 26 in the period.

The Swarm finally took the lead, 86-83, during the fourth quarter, but the Raptors stayed close. The Raptors, who shot 52.6% for the game, starting connecting from long range and created separation. The Raptors shot 13-32 (40.6%) from three for the game and held a 39-21 point advantage from behind the arc.

The fourth quarter became dramatic as the officiating became sporadic. Around the three-minute mark, Heslip fouled Munford on a three-point attempt; replays showed the Munford wasn’t touched, but the call couldn’t be overturned. Toupane was fouled after Munford knocked down 2 of his free throws, and the teams traded free throws. At the 1:30 mark, Wood was called for a costly travel that gave the ball back to the Raptors, and on the next trip down, Heslip hit the go-ahead shot that gave the Raptors a 101-100 lead.

On the next Swarm possession, Goodwin had the ball stolen and the Swarm tried to pressure the Raptors, but a miscommunication led to a dunk by the Raptors John Uthoff and stretched their lead. Afterward, Harrison went to the basket, was fouled and made more free throws, and the Swarm intentionally fouled Toupane. Toupane missed the second free throw; the Raptors got the offensive rebound but stepped out of bounds.

On the ensuing Greensboro possession, Munford air-balled a three-pointer, but Wilkins caught the miss and was fouled on the tip-in. After making the first shot, Wilkins missed the second intentionally. The ball bounced around into Mike Tobey’s hands, who fired up a quick three-pointer to win the game but the ball rolled out of the rim.

The game against the Raptors saw nine lead changes, and Greensboro outscored the Raptors on second chance points (12-3) and on the fastbreak (9-8). However, they were outscored in the paint 54-50 and didn’t play the majority of their bench. Ralston Turner, Shonn Miller, Prince Williams, Rodney Williams, Frank Rogers and Mike Anderson were all held out of the action. Rodney Williams, Rodgers and Anderson all had injuries.

The Swarm will return to action on December 10th as they take on the Windy City Bulls on their home floor at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube.

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