Albuquerque, N.M., March 13, 2008 – The Albuquerque Thunderbirds overcame an eighteen point halftime deficit for their second straight win against the Austin Toros 120-112. Marcus Williams led all scorers in the loss for the Toros with 36 points.

“We are really starting to come together,” Thunderbirds Head Coach Jeff Ruland said. “I knew we had them tonight when we fell behind by 18 points.”

The Thunderbirds had all five starters score in double digits including Will Conroy who posted a double-double in his second game with the Thunderbirds; 13 assists and 22 points. Julius Hodge led the Thunderbirds in scoring with 27 points. Kevin Pittsnogle added 23 points for Albuquerque and Ramon Dyer had a game high 12 rebounds.

Aside from Williams no Toro scored over 20 points. DerMarr Johnson had 19 points for Austin and Cheyne Gadson pitched in 18 points, 6 assists.

Both teams struggled to gain a clear advantage until Darvin Ham broke the tie for the final time with a thunderous dunk. The jam gave Thunderbirds a 109-107 lead with 4:07 minutes remaining.

Toros Head Coach Quin Snyder was ejected from the game late in the third quarter after earning a double-technical foul for arguing with the officials. The Thunderbirds led 89-88 after three. Hodge and Conroy had 9 points each for the Thunderbirds in the third quarter. Albuquerque used a 15-4 run in the middle of the third quarter to grab the lead away from Austin.

Williams led all players in the first half with 24 points for the Toros, who shot 59.5% in the opening half. Albuquerque turned the ball over 19 times in the half and was outscored 39-21 in the second quarter; Austin led at the half 68-50.

Albuquerque opened the game on an 11-2 run. Williams led all scorers in the first quarter with 13 points for the Toros. The game was deadlocked 29-29 after the first quarter.

In attendance but not dressed for the game was Phoenix Suns player Alando Tucker who was recently assigned to the Thunderbirds for the third time this season. Tucker is expected to play Friday against the Toros wearing jersey number 42.

“We are really happy to be getting Tuck back,” Ruland said. “He will give us that extra threat that should help us make a good run.”

Both teams get back to action against one another tomorrow night, Friday, March 14th; game time is set for 7:00 pm from Tingley Coliseum. Following Friday’s game will be the semifinal round of the McDonald’s NBA Amateur Slam Dunk Competition.

Thunderbirds 2007–08 single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at abqtbirds.com, any Ticketmaster location or at the Thunderbirds front office at 111 Lomas Blvd. NE, Suite 240, Albuquerque, NM 87102. For premium or group seating call the Thunderbirds office at (505) 265-DUNK.

The Thunderbirds stay focused on the community by participating in community events such as the Read to Achieve Program as well as D-League Cares. In the past two seasons the Thunderbirds have worked over 3,000 hours in the community, staying dedicated to Albuquerque and New Mexico.

The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams. Now in its seventh season the D-League’s goals are to provide affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 14 teams, as well as continue to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA. As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA, fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played outside the NBA. In fact, former D-League players represented 10 percent of NBA players on 2007-08 opening day rosters, numbering 44 in total. In addition, the D-League has produced 25 percent of current NBA referees and 16 current NBA coaches, including head coach Sam Vincent with the Charlotte Bobcats. The D-League is an innovative and rapidly growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing ground for new initiatives like the live web-streaming of all games available free to fans at d-league.com. The League also provides continuing education and professional development resources for its players, and is committed to serving its local communities through D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts.

Individually, the Thunderbirds have had two player call-ups, two front office call-ups, two training staff call-ups and three call-ups from the Storm Chasers Dance and Cheer squad.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the D-League offers NBA-quality basketball and fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit NBADLEAGUE.com