Albuquerque, N.M., March 8, 2008 – The Austin Toros held off the Albuquerque Thunderbirds 119 – 114 in a thriller. Marcus Williams led the Toros with 33 points including the final four points of the game. Josh Gross led all scorers in the loss for the Thunderbirds with 37 points on 15 of 18 shooting.

Williams registered a double – double for the Toros adding a game high 11 rebounds to go along with his 33 points. Cheyne Gadson added 27 points for the Toros to go along with 8 assists; Justin Bowen pitched in 18 for Austin off the bench.

Gross registered a double – double for the Thunderbirds with 10 rebounds to go along with his 37 points. Julius Hodge also recorded a double – double for Albuquerque; 26 points and 10 rebounds. Abdul Mills added 17 points for the Thunderbirds off the bench and played the entire second half with 5 fouls.

Gadson led all scorers in the first quarter with 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Austin used a 10 – 0 run in the middle of the first quarter to grab the lead. After one the Toros led by six, 30 – 24.

Hodge had 12 points for Albuquerque in the second quarter, helping them start the quarter with a 6 – 0 run to tie the game. Austin regained control of the game by shooting 55 percent from the field in the quarter, helping them to a 61 – 55 halftime lead.

Austin outscored Albuquerque 35 – 25 in the third quarter helping them to a 15 point lead after three, 96 – 81. Carldell Johnson led all scorers in the quarter with 10 points for the Toros.

Gross had 15 points to lead all scorers in the fourth quarter as Albuquerque rallied to tie the game at 104 with just fewer than four minutes to play. Austin shot 57 percent in the quarter though helping them hang on to their lead.

Both teams get back to action Tuesday, March 11th against one another. Game time is set for 7:00 pm from Tingley Coliseum. Following Tuesday’s game will be the final qualifier for the McDonalds NBA Amateur Slam Dunk Contest, which will feature a $1,000 dollar prize for the winner.

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