Press release from the Charge:
The Canton Charge (8-6), presented by SecureData 365 and powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, were defeated on the road by the Austin Spurs (9-3), 115-105, at the Cedar Park Center on Friday night. The win was Austin's ninth-straight, while despite the loss Canton has still won seven of their last ten games.
Canton dominated the their high-percentage opportunities in the paint in the first, outscoring Austin 18-4 in the lane, and pulled ahead 28-25 after the game's opening quarter. The Spurs bounced back in the second with a strong team scoring effort, hitting 12-of-21 shots (57%) and 5-of-8 from three-point range, to outscore the Charge 33-23 and take a 58-51 lead into intermission.
Austin's collective hot hand kept firing to start the third, as the hosts rolled off a 16-0 run to begin the penultimate period over the first 6:10 to take their largest lead of the night at 74-51. Canton showed their resolve by fighting to get back in the game via the free-throw line, hitting 10-of-11 freebees and cutting into the deficit to trail 86-73 heading into the final 12 minutes.
The Charge cut the deficit to single digits on five different occasions in the fourth, but the Spurs responded with a bucket each time to keep the game out of reach. Austin spaced the floor well for 26 assists on their 38 made field goals, and also hit 12-of-19 attempts from three-point range (63%).
Brandon Paul led Canton with a season-high 19 points on 8-of-10 from the free-throw line and two steals in 26 minutes. Cleveland Cavaliers assignment Alex Kirk scored 15 points and grabbed five boards in 30 minutes. Arinze Onuaku scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with nine rebounds and a season-high two steals in 24 minutes. Michael Dunigan added 13 points, five rebounds, a steal and two blocks in 27 minutes.
Austin was paced by JaMychal Green's 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting with three blocks in 36 minutes. Jonathan Simmons added 20 points, eight assists and two steals in 44 minutes. Bryce Cotton scored 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting with seven assists in 37 minutes. Erik Murphy came off the bench to provide 16 points and seven boards in 27 minutes for the Spurs.
The Charge cap off their two-game Texas set tomorrow, December 20th, at 8:00 p.m. against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets affiliate). The Charge will return home on Friday, December 26th at 7:00 p.m. for a matchup with the Bakersfield Jam (Phoenix Suns affiliate). It's Canton-Con, so let your inner nerd shine with a costume contest, Artist Alley featuring local comic artists, and exclusive collectable prizes! Also, there are Dollar Dogs presented by Sugardale and postgame free-throws, all starting at just $7! To view the 2014-15 Canton Charge home schedule complete with promotions and special deals, head to www.CantonCharge.com/promotions.
