Mad Ants Run by Santa Cruz in Winter Showcase Opener
December 20, 2022 - NBA G League (G League)
Indiana Mad Ants News Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The Fort Wayne Mad Ants opened their 2022 NBA G League Winter Showcase experience with a big win Tuesday afternoon, turning back the Santa Cruz Warriors 134-96.
Fort Wayne hit 55.4 percent of their shots to 43.5 percent from the field from the Warriors. It was the third largest win in Mad Ants franchise history.
The Mad Ants raced out to a 9-0 lead on perfect 3-of-3 shooting led by Pacers assignment player Terry Taylor, who led off the game with an and-one, then added a three point make. Santa Cruz battled back, scoring the next seven points on the first quarter. The Warriors drew even multiple times midway through the quarter but a Justin Anderson and-one dunk with 3:54 on the clock increased Fort Wayne's lead to 24-16 to complete an 8-0 run. Elijah Pemberton ended the run with a triple for Santa Cruz that was immediately countered by Pedro Bradshaw on the other end. Fort Wayne would lead 39-23 at the first break.
Deividas Sirvydis extended the Fort Wayne lead to 20 points with eight and a half minutes left in the second quarter. The Mad Ants jumped up by 23, 57-34, at the six-minute mark as Pedro Bradshaw hit his third triple in three tries. A David Stockton triple with 4:09 to play in the half pushed the lead to 64-36. Fort Wayne took a 75-47 lead into the halftime break, led by Taylor's 16 points.
Three pointers continued to fall in the third as Trevelin Queen knocked down his first with 8:15 to play as the sixth different Mad Ant to hit a triple in the game. Fort Wayne led by 40 midway through the third quarter and then Zeke Moore knocked down a three pointer for Santa Cruz. The Mad Ants broke the 100-point mark with just over four minutes to play in the third, going up 101-60 on a Queen breakaway layup on the assist from Jermaine Samuels. After three, Fort Wayne led 109-73.
In the Winter Showcase, teams chase a target score in the fourth quarter with no time on the clock. That made the target score 134 entering the fourth quarter with the first team to reach it being the game winner. Fort Wayne raced to that score on the hands of Justin Anderson, among others. Anderson picked up his scoring in the fourth after leading the Mad Ants in assists throughout the game.
Taylor led Fort Wayne with 28 points, adding seven rebounds. Justin Anderson posted a 17 point/10 assist double double as another of the Mad Ants' seven double figure scorers. Sirvydis scored 19, Bradshaw scored 17 and the double-digit scoring was rounded out by Queen (15), Stockton (14) and Samuels (13).
Santa Cruz was paced by Trevion Williams' 11 points and 14 rebounds and 24 points from Elijah Pemberton.
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