Okafor Drops 23 Points in Mad Ants Sunday Morning Victory
December 22, 2024 - NBA G League (G League)
Indiana Mad Ants News Release
Orlando, Fla. - The Indiana Mad Ants played their second and final Winter Showcase game Sunday morning against the Texas Legends. Indiana finished a perfect 2-0 at the Showcase following a 115-109 victory over the Legends. Jahlil Okafor and Quenton Jackson combined for 45 points while Dakota Mathias contributed 17 points. Indiana had six players finish in double figures.
Dakota Mathias scored the first points of the game for the Mad Ants. Off a pass from Quenton Jackson, Mathias knocked down the corner three to put Indiana on the board. On the next possession, Mathias again shot a corner three with Jackson getting the assist.
Halfway through the quarter, Enrique Freeman scored his first points with a fastbreak slam. Tristen Newton, off a steal, completed the fastbreak layup to tie the game at 16. On the next possession, Jackson absorbed contact to make the contested layup. Mathias made his third three-pointer at the five-minute mark to give the Mad Ants a 21-18 lead.
In the final seconds of the quarter, officials reviewed a potential foul on Texas. Cameron McGriff, attempting to beat the buzzer, was fouled attempting a three-pointer. Officials confirmed the foul and McGriff converted the one-for-three free throw. Mad Ants trailed the Legends at the end of the first quarter. Dakota Mathias led all scorers with 12 points on 4-4 shooting from downtown
Enrique Freeman scored the first Mad Ants points in the second quarter. The two-way forward made a layup on the first possession of the quarter. On the next possession, Jackson knocked down a three-ball off the pass from Freeman. Kyle Mangas regained the lead for Indiana with a corner three. Indiana scored on each of their first three possessions in the second quarter. They had a 37-36 advantage.
Halfway through the quarter, Jackson took a missed shot from Texas down the court for a powerful two-handed dunk. Mathias continued his perfect shooting performance with a close-range jumper in the paint. Indiana had a 49-42 lead over Texas with six minutes remaining in the half.
Josiah-Jordan James and Newton knocked down three-pointers in back-to-back possessions towards the end of the half. James made his second three-pointer on the following possession to give him six points in three minutes.
With under 30 seconds remaining, Mangas sank the spot-up three to give him eight points on the day. The Mad Ants had a 69-51 advantage at halftime. Mathias was the leading scorer for Indiana with 14 points.
Jackson scored the firsts of the second half for the Mad Ants. The two-way guard connected on a mid-range jumper to give him 11 points on the day. Okafor added to his point total a minute later with a one-for-two free throw. Early in the third quarter, Indiana had a 73-56 lead.
Halfway through the quarter, Jackson scored two more points with a running layup. On the next possession, McGriff capitalized on a Texas turnover with a two-handed dunk. At the 5:25 mark, McGriff was fouled on a layup attempt and made the one-for-two free throw. Indiana had their largest lead of the day at 87-65.
At the end of the third quarter, Mad Ants held a 94-80 lead over the Legends. Okafor was the leading scorer for the club with 16 points.
Jackson scored the first points of the fourth quarter for Indiana. Jackson, left wide open in the corner, knocked down his second three-pointer of the day. The field goal gave him 18 points for the game.
At just under seven minutes to go, Freeman made a contested layup to put Indiana over 100 points on the day. Two possessions later, Okafor spun away from his defender for a layup. The Chicago native made his eighth field goal and gave him 18 points. With 5:14 remaining, the Mad Ants had a 103-95 lead.
At the 1:38 mark, Newton passed it down low to Okafor in the paint. The big man was fouled while making the contested layup. Okafor made the free throw, completing the three-point play. On the next possession, Okafor absorbed contact once more for the close-range jumper. Indiana's lead was 11-108 with one minute remaining.
With 43 seconds left in regulation and the Mad Ants up by four, the defense forced a turnover from the Legends. Jackson was fouled in the backcourt with 12.9 seconds remaining and knocked down both of his free throws. Indiana's lead was 115-109. The defense stopped Texas down the stretch and the final score remained 115-109.
Notes
Final Score: 115-109
With the win, the Mad Ants improve to 7-9 overall on the season
Mad Ants outscored Texas 32-17 in the second quarter
Mad Ants led 69-51 at halftime
Tristen Newton (2-Way): 13 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast
Enrique Freeman (2-Way): 8 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast
Quenton Jackson (2-Way): 22 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast
Jahlil Okafor: 23 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast
Dakota Mathias: 17 pts, 7 reb
Mad Ants leading scorer: Jahlil Okafor (23)
Mad Ants leading rebounder: Enrique Freeman (11)
Mad Ants leader in assists: Tristen Newton (8)
The Mad Ants next game will be a home game on Friday, December 27th against the Salt Lake City Stars (Utah Jazz affiliate). The tip-off will be at 6:00 p.m. The two clubs play again on Saturday, December 28th at 6:00 p.m. Indiana finishes 2024 with a road game against the Westchester Knicks on Monday, December 30th.
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