News release from the Mad Ants:
Fair Leads Mad Ants in Final Game of the Season Over Erie
(April 1, 2016) – The Mad Ants, sponsored by Lutheran Health Network, came out on top Friday night against the Erie BayHawks 117-101 at Allen Co. War Memorial Coliseum behind a strong performance from CJ Fair.
The final game of the Mad Ants 2015-16 season came down to a match-up with visiting Erie in front of a crowd of 4,517 strong, anxious to see the Mad Ants go out on a two game win streak. Erie jumped out to a quick lead in the first quarter, despite being outshot by the Mad Ants across the board, but the Mad Ants would force a 24-24 tie after twelve minutes of play. The BayHawks seized a nine point advantage, the most for them in the first half, but an offensive hot streak from Rakeem Christmas allowed the Mad Ants to take the lead around the 4:00 mark, powering the team to a 58-53 halftime advantage. Christmas led the Mad Ants with 11 points/8 rebounds at the half and Stephan Hicks, who is adapting to his recent role as a starter, followed with 10 points of his own.
The Mad Ants carried their lead through the entire third quarter, receiving help off the bench from CJ Fair who recorded 12 points after three, to power an 80-69 Mad Ants advantage heading into the final quarter of play for the 2015-16 season. Fair continued to light up the offensive side of the ball, finishing his night with a team leading 31 points, pushing momentum to the Mad Ants favor, ending their season on a high note with a 117-101 win over Erie. Hicks followed Fair with 15 points, while Michael Frazier and Rakeem Christmas finished with 13 points each, Christmas recording 13 rebounds as well.
Leading the way for the BayHawks, Aaron Harrison finished with 31 points and Aaron Bowen followed with 19 points.
Fort Wayne ends their season at 20-30, while Erie falls to 12-37.
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.
Related Images:
