Join the Austin Toros for 'Girls Night Out' Presented by Cedar Park Regional Medical Center - March 8th at 7-30pm at the Cedar Park Center. The Austin Toros will take on the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Tickets available at http://www.AustinToros.com.
Former Olympian Athlete and WNBA Player Marion Jones will be speaking at 5:30pm. The Toros will wear pink uniforms which will be auctioned off DURING the game so come out and bid on your favorite player's uniform! All proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Resource Center.
The Austin Toros are the NBA Development League team owned and operated by the San Antonio Spurs. If you enjoy Austin Entertainment, then you will enjoy the professional basketball games played at the Cedar Park Center.
Thursday's Game is also 'Thirsty Thursday', which means draft beers will be just $3!
Share the experience! Go Toros! http://youtu.be/RTXhsxUu5Jg
After a rough road trip, the Austin Toros returned to their home stadium and their winning ways, stampeding the Tulsa 66ers 114-87 lead by NBA Development League All Stars Justin Dentmon and Leo Lyons.
Justin Dentmon scored a game high 32 points on a very efficient 10-18 shooting night, including 6 3-pointers, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds. Leo Lyons put up 19 points and 7 boards as well, hitting on 7 of 10 shots.
The Toros took a 9 point lead into the half off a last second 3 point shot by Squeaky Johnson, but the Toros really turned it on in the second half, outscoring Tulsa 58-40, reversing the recent trend of struggling in the second half of games.
Listen to ESPN Austin's Stew Myrick and Lincoln Rose share their post game analysis of the Austin Toros game:
"We've been focusing on being more tough coming out of half time, more mentally tough," says Toros PG and Player of the Game Justin Dentmon. "We've been going into half time with a good lead or close and we give it away."
The Toros definitely played two solid halves in this one. Overall, the Toros shots 58% from the field, 46% from the 3 point
line, and 80% from the charity stripe. This improved scoring has been
the focus of practices of late.
"We've been scoring under 100 points, which is not like us.
We're one of the top scoring teams in the league. We want to get our
number up there, and then we'll be successful," says Dentmon.
NEW FACES TO THE TEAM
The Cedar Park Center welcomed the home debut of two new players Julian Sensley and Ronald Allen, each who contributed nicely with 16 and 7 points respectively.
But perhaps the biggest addition is the return of fan favorite Squeaky Johnson to the team. Squeaky pitched in with 11 points and 8 assists, giving Coach Brad Jones 2 capable point guards who are comfortable playing off the ball as well. With two solid ball handling guards capable of playing together, Toros fans can expect to see their team eclipsing the century mark consistently. HEAD COACH BRAD JONES
As a special treat for Toros fans, head coach Brad Jones let us into the locker room after the game to hear the victorious speech. Here is the clip Brad Jones addressing the team:
NEXT UP FOR THE TOROS
The Toros coaching staff and players will enjoy the All Star Break this coming weekend, then take a trip to Dallas for 2 games against the Texas Legends. The Toros are 5-0 this year against the Legends, so you can bet they're going to come out wanting Toros blood. Tune into NBA Futurecast to watch the games.
The Toros return to the Cedar Park Center on Thursday, March 8, at 7:30pm to take on the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The Skyforce are owned and operated by the Heat, Magic, and Timberwolves and feature such stars as Anthony Mason and Trey Guilder.
Thursday's game features 'Thirsty Thursday' for fans with $3 draft beers available. Also, March 8th is Austin Toros 'Girls Night Out' sponsored by the Cedar Park Regional Medical Center. Former Olympic Athlete and WNBA player Marion Jones will be speaking at 5:30pm and the Toros will be auctioning off Pink Toros Jerseys during the game. For more information on tickets, please visit www.AustinToros.com.
The Austin Toros continued to build on the best start in
league history by sweeping the Idaho Stampede on Friday and Saturday for a pair
of wins. Justin Dentmon averaged 23 points per game in this weekend’s
games coming off of an NBA D-League Player of the Week nod.
Playoff Push Continues
#1 Austin Toros 18-4
#2 Iowa Energy 16-6
#3 Los Angeles D-Fenders 17-8
#4 Rio Grande Valley Vipers 15-9
#5 Bakersfield Jam 12-10
#6 Tulsa 66ers 12-12
#7 Reno Bighorns 11-12
#8 Springfield Armor 11-12
Squeaky Johnson Coming to Your TV
The Toros parent team, the San Antonio Spurs, will be
visiting the New Orleans Hornets tonight on FOX Sports Southwest. This
will be the Spurs first matchup with the team that has Squeaky under
roster. It will air at 7 PM.
What’s up next?
The Toros will travel to Iowa on Friday to play the team
currently right behind them in the standings at 7 PM. The game can be
seen online at www.AustinToros.com for
free. Next week, the Toros will host a back to back at the Cedar Park
Center. The Rio Grande Valley Vipers will visit on Tuesday January 31st
at a special time of 11 AM followed by a game the next night on February 1st
at 7:30 PM.
Join us on Tuesday, January 24th for Trivia
Night with the Austin Toros
This Tuesday the 24th, The Dig Pub in Cedar Park
will host “Binge Thinking Trivia Night with the Austin Toros.” This event
will take place at The Dig Pub located at 401 Cypress Creek Rd. from
7-9pm. Bring your friends, create a team to compete in a game of trivia
and be teamed up with a player from the Austin Toros to play with you.
Win prizes and try The Dig Pub’s great line-up of food and beer!
Do you follow the Austin Toros on Facebook and Twitter?
(1/18/2012 - Cedar Park, Texas) The Austin Toros improved to 9-1 at the Cedar Park Center and 16-4 overall by defeating the Canton Charge 114-97. The 16-4 start ties the single best record for an NBA D League team to start out the season.
Toros Coach Brad Jones
"It's really exciting," says Coach Brad Jones after the game on his team's historic start. "We have a group of really good guys who have bought into what we're trying to do in our system. We've had a really good start to the season and hopefully it will pay off..."
Da'Sean Butler and NBA Development League Performer of the Week Justin Dentmon lead the way for the Austin Toros, each scoring 21 points.
Eric Dawson delivered yet another double double (his 11th for the season) with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Leo Lyons added a strong 15 points with 14 boards off the bench. 6 players scored in double figures for the Toros as they shot over 51% from the field and 47% from the 3 point line.
The defensive intensity was there tonight as well. After spotting the Charge with a 20-11 lead, the Toros stormed back with a 16-2 run to take control of the game. Former NBA player Keith McLeod lead the way for the Charge with 12 points in the 1st quarter alone. But the Toros clamped down after that, holding the Charge to shooting 41% from the field.
"We really have worked hard on being a good defensive team," says Coach Jones. "We feel like we're a really good offensive transition team and when we are able to get stops... we're really really good in transition."
So what happened early in the game that allowed Canton to get off to such a great start?
"We had talked about the pick and roll coverage we wanted to have on him (McLeod) but we didn't do a very good job of executing it during the early part of the game," states the Coach. "Then we figured it out and I thought we did an excellent job."
The Toros now catch a 7AM flight to snowy Idaho for a back to back game this Friday and Saturday. The next home game for the Toros is the 1/31 11am Matinee Game against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The next night game is 2/1 at 7:30pm against the same Vipers.
I hope everyone had a great weekend! Here’s a little
update on your Austin Toros:
Toros Win Streak Survives Road Test
The Austin Toros defeated the Tulsa 66ers 91-90 Sunday
afternoon in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Toros battled back from a 12-point 4th
quarter deficit to keep their win streak alive at seven. Justin Dentmon
led the Toros in scoring with 23 points.
NBA D-League Playoff Picture Update
#1 Austin Toros 12-3
#2 Iowa Energy 12-4
#3 Los Angeles D-Fenders 13-6
#4 Rio Grande Valley Vipers 11-7
#5 Tulsa 66ers 9-7
#6 Bakersfield Jam 9-7
#7 Springfield Armor 8-8
#8 Dakota Wizards 7-7
Toros Games on National TV This Week
Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2:45, the Toros will play on NBA TV
against the Erie Bayhawks. Thursday at noon, the Toros will once again
play on NBA TV against the Dakota Wizards. All games are also free to
watch online at www.NBA.com/dleague.
Squeaky Update
Former Austin Toros point guard Squeaky Johnson scored a
career high of 9 points and dished out 2 assists in 17 minutes of action for
the New Orleans Hornets Saturday night against the World Champion Dallas
Mavericks.
Home Cooking
The Toros will play 4 road games before they return home to
host Canton on Wednesday January 18th. The Toros are currently
8-1 at home.
Eric Dawson and Leo Lyons Celebrate as they pull away from the Legends
(Cedar Park, TX - January 7, 2012)- The 11-3 Austin Toros take down the Texas Legends for the 4th time this year with a 108-93 victory in front of an electrifying crowd at the Cedar Park Center.
Justin Dentmon led all scorers with an impressive 31 points and 8 rebounds.
Despite playing against former NBA big men Yi Jianlian, Greg Ostertag, and Sean Williams, the double-double machine Eric Dawson cranked out his sixth of the year with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
"When we found out that they (Legends) sent some guys down, it made me even more energetic," said Dawson after the game. "I wanted to prove to people that I could play at a high level - the NBA level."
A double double against a couple of NBA player sure helped Eric Dawson make his case.
"I'm super excited about the win," said a much happier Coach Brad Jones tonight. "This was a game our guys very easily could have lost, but our guys figured out a way to win. I thought we had a much better urgency tonight, and I thought our depth in the end...was the difference in the game."
Click below to watch Highlights from last nights game as well as a recap from 104.9 FM the Horn's Ari Tempkin and Stew Myrick, who called the game:
Leo Lyons
Leo Lyons had his best all around game of the season since coming back from a foot injury with 14 points and 7 boards. Lance Thomas helped out with 11 pts and Da'Sean Butler pitched in with 8 as well. Despite being 'outsized' by the Legends, the Toros still managed to out rebound the Legends 59-49, showing how much heart and hustle this team plays with.
"I'm not going to lie and say it was easy," joked Leo Lyons about going up against the former NBA big men for the Legends. "Greg Ostertag is a big load. It's hard to move him out of that paint when he gets locked in. We battled..."
Lyons didn't play in his first game until after Christmas this year due to his foot injury. How's he coming along?
"It's a little sore right now," admits Lyons. "But it's getting there. The doctor says it's going to take awhile to get back to where I was but I'm just happy to be out there playing again."
The Toros played in front of the loudest and largest crowd of the season, just under 4,000 Toros fans, as well as their first game on national television.
"It was a great crowd tonight," said Austin Toros head coach Brad Jones. "We appreciate the fans coming out tonight... We'll see them back here when we play Canton in a week and a half."
Did having a huge crowd help the Toros energy level on the 2nd game of a back to back?
"It helped alot!" said Leo Lyons, of the crowd's energy. "We played yesterday so we needed the crowd's energy to go out there and do the things we need to do on the defensive end."
"It was cool," agreed Eric Dawson. "The crowd gave us energy. We fed off of them and went out there and gave them 110%."
"They cheered. A couple key free throws that they (the Legends) missed, I think Ostertag even air balled one, they were screaming so loud. I just appreciate the fans for coming out," says a smiling Leo Lyons.
The next home game for the Austin Toros is Wednesday, January 18th at 7:30pm at the Cedar Park Center against the Canton Charge. It's a 'Winning Wednesday', sponsored by Taco Bueno, meaning that if the Toros win, then you can bring in your ticket stub to the next 'Winning Wednesday' home game and receive a FREE TICKET! C'mon out and share the experience of a Toros home game.
Click below to watch the full interview with Eric Dawson, Leo Lyons, and Brad Jones:
On a final note: Love was in the air at the Cedar Park Center last Friday. Congratulations to Aron Lofton and Rachel Henderson on their engagement. Aron Lofton popped the question during the Cedar Park Jewelry 'Kiss Cam' segment at the Austin Toros game. This is the first time a marriage proposal has ever happened during a nationally televised NBA D League game, and thankfully the Toros weren't the only winners that night... Rachel Henderson said 'Yes'. We wish you both a long and happy marriage!
