2015 FBA Season/15.06.10
| Wednesday, June 10 | |||||
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| PIT | 
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92 | |||
| ALB | 
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94 | W | 
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| Previous Day | Next Day | ||||
Series Tracker:
E2 vs E4: ALB leads 3-1
Pittsburgh Keystones @ Albany Alphas
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Officials: Lawrence Law #1, Hoang Chen #37, Harry Botsa #27 Player of the Game: René Lacoste (Jackal, G) - 16 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk |
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It all came down to the final seconds, and one look. The lead had seesawed back-and-forth all night; fans had paid for whole seats, but they were only using the edges. The home team Albany Alphas surged out to an early lead in the first quarter off the The second half went much the same as the first, with the Alphas dominating the third quarter, only to surrender their hard-earned lead in the fourth. When starting center Sonja Tinker (Skunk, F/C) fractured her muzzle in the third quarter, the script began to seem all too familiar to the injury-plagued Pittsburgh squad. But unlike in games past, the Keystones didn’t let the loss of another teammate slow them down. Craig Reinhardt (Black Panther, F/C), who called this court home last season, stepped up in a big way to keep the Alphas on their heels. As the clock wound down ever closer to zero, the closest game of the series so far saw Albany up by only two points. Pittsburgh had possession of the stone at the top of the key. Reinhardt passed the ball to Ned Pritchard (Bullfrog, G) outside the arc. Pritchard could win it for the Keystones with a three. As he lined up the shot, something appeared to catch his eye on the Alphas’ bench. A wink and very suggestive tongue motion from Doral (Gecko, G/F). The lingually-endowed duo of Doral and Pritchard regularly made headlines for their antics both on and off the court in their three seasons together as teammates on the suggestively-named Stanislaus Thrust. But while Pritchard's career has continued to soar as a starter on the Keystones, the three-time defensive player of the year Doral has faltered, bouncing from team to team, now earning only minimal minutes at the bottom of the Alphas’ lineup. Both have receded from the public eye as they have matured, surrendering the spotlight to younger, more scandalous athletes. Whether the two are even still an item is an object of public speculation. Likewise open to speculation is just how much of an effect the lizard’s gesture had on the frog, whether it was enough to fluster Pritchard, or whether the miss that followed was just pure bad luck. Regardless, the orange sphere clonked off the rim as the buzzer sounded, giving the Alphas a 94-92 victory and a 3-1 series lead. The Keystones must win the next three games if they are to advance to the Finals. Game 5 is Friday night in Pittsburgh. -S. St. James
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See the complete box scores for 15.06.10