News release from the Mad Ants:
Mad Ants Show Dominant Performance in Road Victory
(December 2, 2015) – The Mad Ants, sponsored by Lutheran Health Network, handed the Westchester Knicks their first loss of the 2015-16 season with a close 98-97 finish in an early afternoon contest December 2nd at the Westchester County Center. Fort Wayne improves their record to 5-3 on the season.
After taking an early lead in the first quarter, the Mad Ants found themselves pulling away from the Knicks by leads of up to eleven around the two minute mark in the quarter. Rakeem Christmas led the Mad Ants in the first half with a 10 point performance as the team headed into the locker room up by the 54-48 score. Marcus Simmons came out strong on the defensive side of the ball, adding 6 first half boards to his 9 points.
Strong play continued into the third quarter, landing the Mad Ants to leads of up to 18 at the three minute mark. Westchester slowly began edging closer to the Ants lead by the fourth quarter. Sean Marshall banked the 3-point attempt to put the Knicks within one with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. To close the game, Westchester held possession of the ball with fifteen seconds remaining, a final 3-point attempt came up short as time expired, granting the Mad Ants the 98-97 victory. Christmas led all scorers with a double-double, good for 25 points and 13 rebounds, he also added 3 blocks to his performance. Xavier Thames followed Christmas with 14 points and Marcus Simmons checked in with his own double-double good for 13 points and 11 rebounds.
For the Knicks, Jimmer Ferdette led his team with 22 points and added in 9 assists. Darion Atkins followed Ferdette with a double-double good for 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mad Ants return home to host the Canton Charge for a 7:30 p.m. matchup on Friday, December 4th at the Memorial Coliseum. Fans can purchase Mad Ants tickets anytime, which start at just $6, at the Memorial Coliseum Box Office, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
About the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and the NBA Development League
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, presented by Lutheran Health Network, are the NBA Development affiliate of the NBA Indiana Pacers. Established in 2007, the Mad Ants have marked their success in back-to-back Championship appearances, coming out on top in 2014 and returning to the Championship series in 2015. The 2014-2015 season also named the Mad Ants as the NBA Development League Development Champions, which recognizes the team that best embodies the NBA D-League’s goals of developing NBA-caliber basketball talent through call-ups and assignments. The NBA Development League is the NBA’s official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. Featuring 19 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2015-16 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. An all-time high 38 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2014-15 season boasted NBA D-League experience. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. Fans can watch all NBA D-League games on fortwayne.gleague.nba.com.