Swarm Unbeaten Streak Comes to a Close in Front of Sellout Crowd, Fall to Raptors 905, 124–119

The Greensboro Swarm’s unbeaten start came to a close in front of its second-largest attendance in franchise history, a 2,487-fan, sellout crowd on Wednesday, falling to the Raptors 905, 124-119, at Novant Health Fieldhouse.

With the result, the Swarm moved to 4-1 while the Raptors 905 remain the lone unbeaten team in the East, with a 5-0 record. 

Terrell Brown Jr. led the Swarm with 25 points (8-of-14 FG) in the contest, with Eric Dixon logging 22 points in 26 minutes of action off the bench. Chucky Hepburn led the Raptors 905 with 30 points in the game, with AJ Lawson and Alijah Martin adding 27 and 20 points, respectively. 

The Swarm narrowly led wire-to-wire in the first half, as the Raptors 905 struck the board first before Greensboro took control of the lead with a Jaylen Sims three. The initial bucket surged an 11-4 run that was capped by a Keyontae Johnson posterizer on his former teammate, Oliver Sarr. Sarr returned the favor with a transition slam of his own to whittle the margin to one possession. However, the Swarm responded, building a double-digit lead at the 7:23 mark and taking a 21-9 in the first stoppage on 7-of-11 shooting.

Guard Terrell Brown Jr. served as the lead hot hand in the stint, posting 11 points in the opening six minutes 

Greensboro led by as high as 14 in the first half of action, leading 66-56 at the half, with Brown Jr. leading the way with 19 points, three rebounds and three assists on 6-of-9 shooting. Keyontae Johnson and Jaylen Sims also etched double figures, with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

A.J. Lawson and Alijah Martin both tallied 12 points by the halftime horn, with Lawson going 5-of-9 including a pair of threes.With both teams matching one another in made field goals (22) and 3-point shots made (five) in the first half, the Swarm made its money at the line, cashing in on a 17-7 edge, with the Raptors 905 doubling it in personal fouls, 18-9.

Raptors 905 opened with a 14-4 run to open the third frame, however, the Swarm held onto its lead, up, 92-87, to enter the fourth. 

The Raptors 905 notched its first lead since the opening possession in the starting segment of the fourth, taking a 93-92 lead and inflating it to a 100-94 lead in the following possessions and outscoring the Swarm, 25-12, in the first eight minutes of the period. 

Trailed 116-107 with three minutes — erased deficit with a pair of layups, free throws and a Brown Jr. and-one layup to knot the game. The final minute saw A.J. Lawson and Eric Dixon exchange 3-point shots, with Dixon’s equalizer coming off a stepback beyond the right wing. Hepburn canned a 25-foot triple to reclaim the lead, with Dixon missing from top of the key 7.6 seconds coming short. 

After a dribbling act down the sideline, Jonathan Mobgo went to the stripe, icing the game at the line with a pair of free throws.

The Swarm complete its back-to-back set against the Raptors 905 tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET.