PORTLAND — The Maine Red Claws showed all the signs of a young team Friday night.

They displayed energy and enthusiasm and put on an exciting show in their season debut but also made the kind of mistakes inexperienced clubs make. The Red Claws turned the ball over too often and were beaten on the boards in a 103-97 loss to the Austin Toros in their NBA D-League opener.

“We had a lot of turnovers,” said Maine coach Austin Ainge. “We’re a young team. I knew we’d be high, but we were way too high in the turnovers area. We also couldn’t get a rebound. They pushed us around. We have to play tougher. They had 24 more shots than us in the game. It’s hard to beat anyone when you give them 24 more looks.”

Maine had 26 turnovers in the game and was outrebounded 49-42 overall and 22-8 on the offensive glass.

“The main thing that happened to us is that they outrebounded and outhustled us,” said Paul Harris, who led Maine with 20 points. “I’ll give them credit. They made some big shots toward the end. It goes back to the first half when they outworked us. They’d get a shot and put it back two or three times. They wanted it more than us.”

Maine only had two returning players, Mario West and Harris. West left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. Harris missed all of last year with an injury. The Red Claws still had a chance to win down the stretch despite their lack of seasoning.

“We’re a young team,” said Tiny Gallon, who had 17 points for Maine. “We have one vet on the team. We’re going to glue it together after awhile.”

A 3-pointer by Chamberlain Oguchi, who finished with 17 points, put Maine up 91-89 with 5:48 left. Austin tied it with a pair of free throws and then held the Red Claws without a point for over three-and-a-half minutes.

Austin got a post hoop from Marcus Cousin, who led the Toros with 21 points. Then a 3-pointer by Lewis Clinch made it 98-91 with 2:30 left.

“I thought it was because we shared the basketball,” said Austin coach Brad Jones. “I thought they did a good job taking away our attempts to get the ball to Marcus. They took it away, and instead of panicking, we shared the basketball.”

Maine was plagued by turnovers down the stretch. The Red Claws had three in crucial possessions and then were beaten to loose balls on other opportunities. Still,  two baskets  by Lawrence Westbrook, who added 15 points, cut it to 98-95.

Then a drive by Westbrook after a Magnum Rolle steal made it 98-97 with 39 seconds left. Austin answered with a Cousin basket in the paint off a Carldell Johnson pass behind the defense.

“They had some tall dudes,” said Gallon. “They were very long. They had a height advantage on us.”

Westbrook had a try at a tying 3-pointer that rimmed out with 14 seconds left. Johnson padded the lead with free throws in the closing seconds.

“We had some good looks down the stretch,” said Ainge, whose team hosts the Toros again Saturday night. “Things could go either way but we wouldn’t be in that situation if we had had the toughness to box our men out better. They beat us to a lot of loose balls.”

Maine did a number of things right to build the early lead with a 9-0 run in the opening quarter. The Red Claws got a trio of 3-pointers from Westbrook and Oguchi while also showing some quickness in pushing the fast break. Maine also played some pretty solid defense, holding Austin without a basket for nearly four minutes. Austin shot just 32 percent from the floor in the opening half.

Maine’s lead was as many as 12 after a Lamonte Ulmer jumper made it 23-11 after the nine straight points. Gallon’s three-point play made it 26-23 late in the quarter before Austin pulled within 26-15.

In the second quarter, it was a different story. Austin rallied with 13 straight points and tied the game 28-28 with 7:56 left in the half. Maine pulled away and had the lead up to 42-33 with six straight, four from Westbrook, but the Toros finished strong with 10 straight to take a 45-44 lead at the half.

The teams traded the lead in the third. Austin built a 52-47 advantage before a jumper by Jamar Smith and a 3-pointer by Eugene Spates tied it.  Maine opened a five-point lead of its own on a fast break hoop by Smith, but Austin ran off 10 straight to take the lead late in the quarter.

“I liked a lot of our talent,” said Ainge. “We just have to be a little smarter and a little tougher and keep improving.”

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