SPRINGFIELD, MA- Jerry Smith scored a game-high 26 points, but a late run by the Erie BayHawks dropped the Armor 95-84 in front of 4,561 fans tonight inside the MassMutual Center.

For the second straight night, Springfield (8-8) and Erie (7-10) went toe to toe, with Smith’s 13 first-quarter points leading the Armor to a 22-20 advantage after one quarter. Though the Armor led by as many as 10 points in the first half, the BayHawks closed the gap late in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 49-46 by halftime.

Smith led the Armor with 13 points in the first half, while Chris Daniels scored 5 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to pace the BayHawks.

In the third quarter, Erie outscored the Armor 24-21 to tie the game up at 70-70 at the end of three. The BayHawks made their move in the fourth, holding the Armor scoreless until a JamesOn Curry jumper more than four minutes into the frame to cut the lead to 76-72. The Armor and BayHawks battled back and forth, with Springfield coming as close as 82-79 on a Jeff Foote put-back with less than five minutes to play, but Erie followed with a 6-0 run to put the game firmly out of reach.

Smith led the Armor with his first double-double of the season, adding 10 rebounds to his 26-point night. Foote also added a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds and Curry narrowly missed a triple-double with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

The BayHawks had seven players in double figures, led by Daniels’ 14-point, 18-rebound performance. Newly-acquired Mike James scored a team-high 17 points and Loren Stokes (13 points), D.J. Kennedy (12 points), Kyle Goldcamp (11 points), Kyle Spain (11 points) and Devin Green (10 points) also finished in double figures.

The Armor hit the road tomorrow when they head to Reno, NV for the annual NBA D-League Showcase. The Armor’s first of two games in Reno will take place at 3:45 PM EST when the Armor take on the Los Angeles D-Fenders. The game will be televised nationally on NBA TV.