The Armor fell to 4-1 at home when leading at halftime.
Armor guard Ben Uzoh breaks for the basket during Monday's game with Rio Grande Valley.
SPRINGFIELD – Carleton Scott was good, but he was no match for Vernon Macklin and Glen Rice Jr.
Macklin (26 points) was a force in the paint and Rice was terrific inside and out as he scored a career-high 35 to lead the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to a 112-97 win over the Springfield Armor Monday night at the MassMutual Center.
Rice, the son of former NBA star Glen Rice, rallied the Vipers (17-9) from a six-point halftime deficit with 19 points after the break. The fourth-round pick in the Development League draft also had a career-high 15 rebounds.
It all overshadowed a fine night by Scott, who had 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including 6 of 9 from behind the 3-point arc.
"We just got to play a whole game together," Scott said. "We could have a beautiful first half and the second half we just fall apart. We got to put a good 48 minutes together."
Armor coach Bob MacKinnon has gone with a new lineup the last two games in an effort to get the Armor moving in the right direction. Scott, who had been playing small forward, has been moved to shooting guard over Christian Polk, while Kenny Adeleke starts at center in place of Willie Reed.
Scott gives the Armor the same perimeter offense, but increases their size on the floor. Adeleke adds a little width and toughness.
The new lineup worked Saturday in Iowa and for at least the first half Monday. Scott had 16 points at halftime on 5-for-8 shooting, 4 for 6 from behind the arc. He came in averaging 12 points per game.
Adeleke only scored two points, but he had six rebounds at the break, slightly over his average.
The two things the Armor did well in the first half were shoot the 3-ball and force turnovers. Springfield was 8 of 13 from distance and forced the Vipers into 14 turnovers.
More importantly, the Armor had a 57-51 lead and were looking to move to 5-0 at home when up at the break.
Make that 4-1.
The Vipers, who already had the upper hand on the glass, expanded it in the third quarter. They outrebounded the Armor 15-8 and held them to 16 points on 6-of-19 shooting.
Scott hit his first two shots of the third, both 3-pointers, but only managed one more hoop, scoring all of his points in the first three quarters.
With the ejection of the Vipers' Andrew Goudelock in the first half, Scott Machado saw more playing time at the point. Machado was put on Scott in the third quarter and played a role in keeping him away from the ball.
"He played great defense, but we just kind of got stagnant as a team," Scott said. "I had to move and we just kind of settled. We've got to play a full 48 minutes together and that falls on everybody, myself included."
Tim Ohlbrecht – whom the Armor drafted first in the 2012 draft before trading him to Rio Grande Valley for Ben Uzoh – didn't do much, but played a role in helping the Vipers take the lead in the third. He scored all seven of his points in the quarter.
His free throw broke a 66-66 tie. The Armor tied it at 71-71, but a Macklin dunk followed by another basket from Macklin put the Vipers ahead for good.