Iowa Tops Fort Wayne, 127-124
Published on November 25, 2022 under NBA G League (G League)
Indiana Mad Ants News Release
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Iowa led most of the way and held of multiple furious Fort Wayne comebacks on Friday night to pick up a 127-124 win.
Iowa came out going directly at the Mad Ants interior with two-way player Luka Garza. Garza scored 12 of the Wolves first 15 points and was difficult to contain inside. Garza finished the first quarter with 14 points and five rebounds while Fort Wayne shot just 35.7 percent from the field and fell behind 32-25 at the quarter break after narrowing what was once a 12-point deficit.
Fort Wayne gained some ground in the second as Bennie Boatwright found some success in the pick and roll, but back-to-back baskets from Javonte Cooke finishing at the 7:23 mark of the second quarter pushed the lead back to 12 points. Iowa would push their lead to as many as 14 in the quarter but a five-point Mad Ants possession with 3:25 left cut it down to single digits again. Iowa would lead at the halftime break, 68-62 following Norvel Pelle's buzzer beating tip in for Fort Wayne.
Both teams pushed the pace in the third quarter, which was early highlighted by an impactful block from Kendall Brown. Fort Wayne cut the deficit to 77-76 with 7:19 to play on a putback basket from Brown. The lead for Iowa ballooned up to 11 late in the quarter but the Mad Ants went to the hands of the NBA G League's second leading scorer Gabe York, who nailed back to back three pointers to cut the lead to 91-88. At the end of the quarter, Iowa had increased the lead again, up 100-93 heading into the final quarter after an 8-0 run capped by a Brandon Sampson three pointer.
A big energy fourth quarter brought a lot of back and forth play early. Fort Wayne again drew close, getting to 102-99, before a Sampson three pushed Iowa's lead back out to two possessions. With 2:41 in the game, a Trevelin Queen three pointer gave Fort Wayne a 119-118 lead, their first since the first quarter. Fort Wayne would lead by as many as four in the closing minutes but Emmanuel Mudiay took the lead back for the final time with 21.8 seconds left on a pair of free throws.
Iowa was led by Garza's 31 points and 11 rebounds as one of three Wolves with double doubles. Josh Minott added 22 points and 12 rebounds while AJ Lawson had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Fort Wayne was led by 24 points and seven seven from Queen and 24 points and five assists from Gabe York. David Stockton added a 13 point, 10 assist double double for the Mad Ants.
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