Stars Fall to Spurs at the Final Buzzer to Close out Double-Header

SALT LAKE CITY (January 15, 2026) — The Salt Lake City Stars fell to the Austin Spurs 121-118 at the final buzzer on Wednesday night, closing out the doubleheader series. Austin swept the two-game set and took a 2-0 lead in the season series, while the loss dropped the Stars to 4-6.

Austin opened the game with efficient offense, building an early lead and taking a 59-50 advantage into halftime. Salt Lake City responded out of the break with a quick 9-3 run, tying the game at 62-62 at the 9:50 mark of the third quarter. The Stars stayed in front through much of the second half, but the Spurs rallied late and connected on a buzzer-beating three to seal the victory.

Jazz two-way big man Oscar Tshiebwe led the Stars with a team-high-tying 21 points (7-10 FGM) and a game-high 16 rebounds (10 OR, 6 DR), recording his 12th double-double of the season. Tshiebwe also added a team-high three steals. Sean East II made his first career start and matched Tshiebwe with 21 points (10-18 FGM) while dishing out a team-high-tying five assists.

Off the bench, Cameron McGriff paced Salt Lake City with 18 points, while Stars newcomer Matthew Cleveland added 11 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting from the field.

Austin was led by Kyle Mangas, who scored 28 points, followed by two-way guard David Jones Garcia with 19.

The Stars now hit the road to face the Sioux Falls Skyforce in a back-to-back series, marking the first meetings between the teams this season. The opener is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m. MT at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The game will air on Jazz+.