Mad Ants improve to 7-3 after matinee victory

The REPORTER

The Indiana Mad Ants continued their homestand with a Tuesday afternoon matchup with the South Bay Lakers. In a back-and-forth game that saw 18 lead changes, it was the Mad Ants who pulled away late against the Lakers. Enrique Freeman notched his first career double-double while Quenton Jackson scored 22 points. The Mad Ants improved to 7-3 in the regular season.

Johnny Furphy scored the first points of the day for the Mad Ants. The 6’8” forward drove the lane and made the off-hand layup. Furphy rejoined the Mad Ants on assignment from the Indiana Pacers. Enrique Freeman scored on the next possession with a running layup.

Halfway through the first quarter, Jahlil Okafor drew a foul. The big man missed the last contest dealing with an illness. He converted the one-for-two free throw attempt. Okafor’s free throw gave the Mad Ants a 14-13 advantage early on.

In the final minutes of the first quarter, Kyle Mangas found an open Dakota Mathias in the corner. Mathias knocked down the three-pointer to tie the game at 21. On the following possession, Mangas sank a three-pointer with Josiah-Jordan James recording the assist. 30 seconds later, Mathias scored a two-pointer with a floater from the paint. Indiana closed the quarter on an 8-0 run and had a 26-21 lead. Okafor led the team with six first quarter points.

Freeman scored the first points of the second quarter for Indiana. The Akron alum absorbed contact while making the off-balance layup. On the next possession, Mangas found an opening in the lane and made the layup. Two minutes into the quarter, the Mad Ants had a 30-26 lead over the Lakers.

With three minutes to go in the half, Quenton Jackson made a close-range floater to end the scoring drought. The Mad Ants trailed 45-37. James knocked down a three-pointer on the following possession. The next time down the floor, Jackson lined one up from downtown and connected. Freeman sank a three-pointer to cut the deficit to three points. This prompted a timeout from South Bay.

After the timeout, Indiana forced a turnover and Jackson finished on the other end with a layup. RayJ Dennis beat the buzzer with a floater in the lane and regained the lead for the Mad Ants. Despite trailing by as much as 10 points, Indiana had a 50-49 lead at the half. Freeman led the team with 12 points in the first half.

Dennis scored the first points of the second half for Indiana. With the shot clock dwindling, the Illinois native knocked down the fadeaway jumper. Two minutes into the third quarter, the Mad Ants trailed South Bay 55-52.

Halfway through the third quarter, Okafor put the Mad Ants back ahead with a left-handed dunk. On the next possession, Freeman’s hot streak continued as he made a hook shot to give him 19 points on the day.

In the final minutes of the quarter, Mathias drained a contested three-pointer to increase the Mad Ants lead. Jackson drew a foul on the next possession and converted the one-for-two free throw. Moments later, the Texas A&M alum recorded a steal and finished off the layup at the other end. Mathias knocked down a three-pointer to give Indiana their largest lead of the day at 81-72. South Bay fought back at the end of the quarter, but Indiana had an 83-78 lead. Freeman led all scorers with 21 points.

Freeman scored the first points of the fourth quarter for Indiana. He drew a foul, and officials ruled goaltending on the play. Freeman made the free throw to convert the three-point play. A minute later, Dennis scored with a layup off the glass to give the Mad Ants their first double-digit lead of the day.

At the 6:45 mark, Dennis attacked the lane and made the close-range jumper to give him 13 points on the day and extend the Mad Ants lead. Jackson improved the lead with a three-pointer off an assist from Okafor.

With minutes remaining in regulation, Mangas showed off his athleticism with a poster dunk. Under a minute to go, Jackson showcased his leaping ability with an emphatic one-handed slam. Indiana pulled away from South Bay on their way to a 111-102 win.

The Indiana Mad Ants will conclude their six-game homestand on Friday when they take on the Wisconsin Herd. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. The Mad Ants hit the road next week for matchups with the Valley Suns on Jan. 21 and the Birmingham Squadron on Jan. 25.