LAS VEGAS, Nev. – As the San Antonio Spurs completed the NBA Summer League with a perfect 5-0 record, one of the reasons for the team's success was the play of former Tiger Basketball standout Gary Neal.
A starter in four of the Spurs' five games, Neal averaged a team-high 16.0 points per game while making 50.0 per cent of his field goal attempts. In addition, he was 17 of 34 (.500) from three-point range while playing 25.8 minutes per game.
After being held to just eight points in 23 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers, Neal exploded for 25 points in a 78-64 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon. He made 9 of 16 shots from the floor, including a 6-for-10 effort from three-point range, and also contributed two assists and two steals.
In addition, he spearheaded a game-opening 15-2 run by the Spurs by scoring the game's first 13 points.
Neal led the Spurs to an 80-71 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on July 15, scoring 20 points with three rebounds. He made 8 of 16 shots from the floor and was four of nine from three-point range.
In the Spurs' 89-84 victory over Atlanta on July 14, the Aberdeen, Md. native played 35 minutes and scored 16 points with two assists and two steals. He also contributed 11 points in an 85-61 victory over Minnesota in the Spurs' Summer League opener on July 12.
The 15th-leading scorer in school history, Neal scored 1,254 points in less than two seasons with the Tigers. A first team All-CAA selection, he set a Towson single-season record by scoring 810 points during his senior season and was the Colonial Athletic Association's leading scorer with a 25.6 average.
One of only two Towson players to score 40 points in a game twice during his career, Neal is one of only three players in NCAA history to score 1,000 points at two different Division I schools. Prior to transferring to Towson, he scored 1,041 points at La Salle University and was named as the 2003 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year.
