Springfield Outlasts Fort Wayne
Published on December 22, 2012 under NBA G League (G League)
Springfield Armor News Release
Springfield, Mass. - The Springfield Armor held off a second half comeback by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants to secure a 107-101 victory tonight at the MassMutual Center.
The Armor (4-5) opened up a 29-16 lead after one quarter, knocking down 12-of-20 shots for 60% and out-rebounding the Mad Ants (3-10) 16-7. Carleton Scott scored 10 of his 19 points in the period.
In the second, the Armor led by as many as 23 points, shooting a blistering 13-of-16 for 81.3% from the field in the process. Christian Polk tallied 10 points in the quarter as all nine players who appeared in tonight's game for Springfield scored. The Armor went into intermission with a 63-41 advantage, their largest halftime lead of the season.
The third quarter belonged to the Mad Ants. Fort Wayne's Tony Mitchell and Walker Russell, Jr. combined to score 28 of the team's 38 points in the period and the Ants connected on 16-of-26 shots for 61.5% after knocking down just 15-of-45 shots for 33.3% in the first half. Fort Wayne forced five of the Armor's season-high 24 turnovers in the quarter and outscored Springfield 38-16 to even the score at 79-79.
The fourth quarter saw seven of the game's nine ties and lead changes, with the Armor and Mad Ants battling back and forth. A Sadiel Rojas tip-in gave the Ants a 100-96 lead with 2:20 on the clock, but a put-back layup by James Mays and a Ben Uzoh floater evened the score at 100-100. From there, the Armor closed the game on a 7-1 run, with the newly-acquired Ramone Moore scoring four of the final seven points to help ice the victory.
Carleton Scott recorded his second double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds and Willie Reed notched his first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. James Mays tallied a team-high 20 points, Ben Uzoh contributed 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, Ramone Moore chipped in 15 points in his first start since being acquired on Wednesday and Christian Polk added 13 points off the bench.
After being out-rebounded in their last four games, the Armor held a 47-39 edge on the glass tonight and overcame some sloppiness by sinking a season-high 51.9% from the field (42-of-81).
The Mad Ants got a game-high and season-high 27 points from Tony Mitchell (all in the second half), Walker Russell, Jr. added 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists, JaJuan Johnson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, Mike Anderson contributed 14 points and nine rebounds and Sadiel Rojas scored 11 points.
The Armor will hit the road to close out 2012 with a pair of games in Santa Cruz, Calif. against the expansion Santa Cruz Warriors on Dec. 27 and 28 and the first game of the season against the Maine Red Claws in Maine on Dec. 31. The Armor will return to Springfield on Jan. 3 for a midweek matchup with the Canton Charge at the MassMutual Center.
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