Hayes

Former Pelicans star Jaxson Hayes (10) made a splash in his debut with the Birmingham Squadron this week.

The Birmingham Squadron debuted in the renovated Legacy Arena for the first time this past weekend as they hosted the Mexico City Capitanes for a pair of games, which Birmingham split.

Birmingham lost to Mexico City 123-114 in the first matchup on Dec. 5 but came back to pick up a big 109-107 win on Dec. 7.

In their home opener, Birmingham battled Mexico City to a 61-61 halftime time before the Capitanes began to pull away in the third quarter outscoring Birmingham 34-22 in the period to take a 95-83 lead into the final period. Birmingham outscored Mexico City 31-28 in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough to whittle away the lead.

Auburn’s Jared Harper led Birmingham with 35 points and eight assists in the loss, while Alabama’s John Petty Jr. added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench. Joe Young and Malcolm Hill also scored 19 points each and Zylan Cheatham added a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double performance.

Birmingham drew nearly 5,000 fans to its inaugural home game.

The Squadron debuted some new players in the second game, as the New Orleans Pelicans assigned center Jaxson Hayes and forward Trey Murphy III to their NBA G-League affiliated Squadron. The pair of newcomers provide a nice mix of experience and potential for Birmingham.

Hayes has played in 143 games – with 17 starts – over the past three seasons in New Orleans averaging seven points and four rebounds per game. Murphy is a rookie that has already played in 25 games for the Pelicans this season averaging five points and two rebounds.

The Pelicans also assigned Jose Alvarado back to the Squadron after signing him to their active NBA roster for seven games.

Hayes wasted no time making his presence known as he led Birmingham with 30 points and 10 rebounds in the 109-107 win. Murphy also added 18 points and seven rebounds, while Harper 23 points and Alvarado scored 19 points.

With the fresh faces on the team, Petty saw his playing time drastically cut – playing just 11 minutes – as he scored three points in limited action.

Birmingham will continue at home Dec. 9 and Dec. 11 for games against the Lakeland Magic with both starting at 7 p.m. The home swing continues next week with home games against the Memphis Hustle on Dec. 13-14.

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