The Anatomy of a 30 Point Comeback
Many of you have heard that your favorite team accomplished a feat on Sunday that many thought was impossible.
The Iowa Energy trailed the Erie BayHawks 56-26 with 1:37 remaining in the first half. Approximately one hour later, Iowa left Erie with an improbable 100-95 victory to raise their record to 10-1. So, how was a team that was down 30 points come all the way back to win a game on the road?
Lets break it down:
Mini-run to end 1st half: While it didn’t seem like much at the time, the Energy went on a 7-2 run in the final 1:30 of the half to get the lead to 25 points. Sure, that is still a seemingly insurmountable lead, but the fact that the Energy went to the locker room with a drop of momentum didn’t hurt.
Defensive pressure to start 2nd half: Iowa started the second half on defense, and the tone was set from the start. The Energy forced Erie into a 24 second shot clock violation. The defensive pressure continued in the quarter as Iowa opened up the 2nd half on a 14-4 run.
Tyndale’s big shot: The shot probably went unnoticed to many, but Mark Tyndale drained a 3-point shot at the end of the 3rd quarter to draw the Energy within 9 heading into the 4th quarter. From a psychological standpoint, getting the game into single digits was a huge boost for the Energy.
Marvin Philips shows his outside game: In a 3:36 stretch of the 4th quarter, Energy reserve Marvin Phillips scored 8 points, including two deep jump shots. Phillips is well known for his powerful dunks and his high flying rebounding, but the deep shooting was a new touch to his game. Philips’s final basket of the game, a layup with 6:03 remaining, gave the Energy an 81-80 lead.
Little bit of luck: You don’t make a comeback like this without a little luck. With the Energy down by 3, Cartier Martin missed a 3-point shot with only seconds left. Iowa quickly fouled Erie’s Martin Zeno with 1.9 seconds left. All Zeno had to do was make 1 of 2 free throw shots to seal the win for the BayHawks. His first shot clanked off the rim. The second…ditto. Iowa called a timeout and moved the ball to halfcourt….setting up…. “Big Shot”
Cartier Martin does it again: Recently acquired Cartier Martin got a second chance to tie the game, and this time, he didn’t disappoint. Just as the final buzzer sounded, Martin’s 3-pointer ripped through the net, sending the game to extra time. In his 22 games with the Energy last year, Martin became well known for hitting HUGE shots at HUGE times. It looks like that magic touch has continued.
Stinson takes over OT: Energy point guard Curtis Stinson was largely responsible for the first four points of OT. He found Tyndale open under the hoop to take the lead a couple minutes into the extra session. One possession later, he nailed an open 20 footer to put the Energy up four. Earl Barron’s free throw shooting would put the game on ice for the 10-1 Energy.
Coaching: Huge credit to Nick Nurse, Nate Bjorkgren and Keith “Lefty” Moore for pulling this one out. It would have been easy to wave the white flag and be happy with a split of two games in Erie. That is not the way these guys operate. Going back to Martin for the game tying shot after he missed seconds earlier took a lot of guts.
So there you have it. What a game. What a run!
The Energy are home on Tuesday night (Dec 29th, 7pm) to host Ft. Wayne. It’s a 2-for-1 Tuesday meaning all sideline seats are 2 for the price of 1.
Get your tickets today at www.dahlstickets.com or by calling 515-564-8550.
P.S. Ft. Wayne recently signed former Hawkeye Jared Reiner….so come on out and see him this week!
One Response to “The Anatomy of a 30 Point Comeback”
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Not this is really a reply to this post, but it great news for the dleague and the Energy that Versus network will be broadcasting NBA D League games in HD on Sat. Nights. Versus will be at the Well on 1-26.