Bandits breathe a sigh of relief after close win

Victoria Sun

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001 | 10:10 a.m.

When the buzzer sounded and the clock read zero, the Las Vegas Bandits players and coaches were thankful that the game was over and victory was theirs.

For two hours and 45 minutes in real time the Bandits fought off the visiting St. Louis Swarm in a game where the teams exchanged the lead after each quarter.

The Bandits led by eight after the first quarter and ended up savoring a 98-96 victory over the defending IBL champions Wednesday night before an announced crowd of 1,671 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"It was a big win," the Bandits' Frantz-Pierre Louis said. "They're a talented bunch. It was important we pulled it out because we were at home against a very good team."

The Bandits (8-5) are the only team that has beaten the Swarm (6-2) this season. After the Bandits won the season opener at St. Louis, the Swarm won its next six games until Wednesday.

Bandits point guard Eddie Gill made two free throws, snapping a 96-96 tie with eight-tenths of a second left for the win.

Gill made it to the free throw line after a defensive play that saved the Bandits from possible defeat and helped the team avoid overtime.

After Gill made the second of two free throws to tie the game at 96, there were 18.2 seconds remaining.

As time was winding down for the Swarm to get off a final shot, Gill stole the ball from St. Louis' Danny Johnson in the lane.

The referee then signaled that Johnson fouled Gill while trying to get the ball back, sending him to the free throw line. Gill finished with nine points, seven assists and four steals.

"You go out, play hard and hope you get a win," Bandits coach Lionel Hollins said. "We were fortunate enough to get the win.

"That's why they're the defending champions. They're a tough team physically and mentally.

"They try to wear you down. They're a very good team and this was a competitive ball game."

Byron Houston led the Swarm with 28 points and 13 rebounds, though Las Vegas edged St. Louis in rebounds 50-43.

J.R. Henderson led the Bandits with 22 points and had nine rebounds while Mike Jones scored 16 points and Damian Cantrell grabbed nine rebounds.

Bandits forward Harold Ellis had 11 points and seven of his nine rebounds in the fourth quarter.

Ellis, who played most of his 14 minutes in the final period, put the Bandits up 86-79 after he scored five consecutive points off two free throws and the completion of a 3-point play.

"I was trying to figure out a way to get Harold in the rotation," Hollins said. "We needed energy in the final quarter and he gave it to us."

Pierre-Louis returned to action after sitting out for two weeks while recovering from a concussion he sustained at New Mexico.

He made a few nice plays in the decisive fourth quarter and made 5-of-8 shots for 11 points.

"The bench came out and did a nice job," Hollins said. "Everybody contributed."