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!

Meet the 09-10 High Voltage Dancers

hv dancersMeet your 2009-2010 High Voltage Dance Team!

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2009-2010 Schedule Announced

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The 09-10 season is going is chalked full of weekend home games, with eighteen of twenty-four home games to be played on weekends

The Iowa Energy open their 2009-10 season in the NBA Development League on Friday, Nov. 27th at 6 p.m. Central when they travel to play the expansion Springfield Armor in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Energy’s home season begins on Thursday, December 3rd as they host the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants at 7 p.m at Wells Fargo Arena. The Energy’s 2009-2010 schedule will look considerably different from past years as eighteen of the team’s twenty-four home games will be played on the weekends. Among those eighteen weekend games are five Friday night contests and seven Saturday night games.

“Our franchise couldn’t be more excited about our home schedule. Playing eighteen games on the weekends will provide fans easy access to join us at an Energy game,” said Jerry Crawford, Managing Owner of the Energy. “Last season, we averaged over 6,800 fans on our Saturday night contests. Fans who were at those games felt the electricity in the building. There will be a lot more of that this season.”

Fans can purchase season ticket packages for Energy games now by calling (515) 564-8550 or logging onto IowaNBA.com. Groups of twenty or more who wish to attend an Energy game can receive a substantial discount on game tickets by calling the Energy office. Group tickets are also on sale starting today.

“Our local ownership group is extremely committed to providing world class entertainment at an affordable price. We encourage everyone in the community; businesses and individuals alike, to assist in our mission by becoming Energy season ticket holders,” said Crawford.

For the first time, the NBA D-League will feature two conferences, East and West, for the 2009-10 season with the Red Claws and Armor joining the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference will consist of the Dakota Wizards, Erie BayHawks, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Iowa Energy, Maine Red Claws, Sioux Falls Skyforce and Springfield Armor, while the Western Conference includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Austin Toros, Bakersfield Jam, Los Angeles D-Fenders, Idaho Stampede, Reno Bighorns, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Tulsa 66ers and Utah Flash.

View a printout of  the 2009-2010 schedule here.