Jackson drops 34 points as Mad Ants take down Swarm

Advance to face the Osceola Magic on April 3

The REPORTER

The Indiana Mad Ants hosted the Greensboro Swarm Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the NBA G League Playoffs. The Mad Ants entered Tuesday seeking their first playoff win since the 2016/17 season. Indiana secured a 120-110 victory after leading for the majority of their contest with the Swarm. Quenton Jackson led the way with 34 points while RayJ Dennis and Johnny Furphy each had 25 points.

Indiana had some reinforcements with RayJ Dennis, Enrique Freeman, Johnny Furphy and Quenton Jackson all active Tuesday. Dennis scored the first points of the afternoon for the Mad Ants. He drew a foul and knocked down a free throw worth two points. Two possessions later, Jackson scored with a running layup.

After jumping out a 15-10 lead, the Mad Ants fell behind 16-15 with five minutes remaining. Cameron McGriff regained the lead for Indiana with a close-range jumper. 10 seconds later, Furphy forced a turnover and finished on the other hand with a high-flying dunk.

In the final minutes of the quarter, McGriff added to his point with a fadeaway 15-footer. On the next possession, Freeman rocked the rim with a two-handed slam. Down to a minute left on the clock, McGriff got a steal and finished with a contested layup. Dennis added to Indiana’s lead with a late three. The Mad Ants led 32-23 after the first quarter. Jackson led the team with nine points.

Jackson scored the first points of the second quarter. The two-way guard drained a three-pointer on the first possession of the quarter. Jackson made five of his first six field goal attempts.

Halfway through the quarter, the Mad Ants had a 45-33 advantage. Okafor added to the lead with a free throw worth two points. The veteran center was fouled under the basket which put the Swarm in the penalty.

The Mad Ants led by as much as 15 during parts of the second quarter. Indiana had a 58-46 lead heading into halftime. Jackson led all scorers with 20 first-half points. Indiana held Greensboro to 2-13 shooting form downtown. The Swarm also shot 39.5 percent from the field (17-43).

Jackson picked up where he left off and scored the first points of the second half. With the shot clock winding down, he finished at the rim with a contested layup. Two possessions later, Dennis added to the lead with a corner three.

The Mad Ants had a 79-59 lead with six minutes left in the third quarter. Indiana led by as much as 25 earlier in the quarter. Furphy added to the lead a minute later with a running layup through traffic.

Greensboro continued to fight back throughout the quarter. Late in the third, Dakota Mathias extended the lead with a catch-and-shoot three-pointer. On the next possession, Jackson contorted his body while making a contested layup. At the end of the quarter, Indiana had a 93-75 lead. Jackson led the team with 31 points heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Furphy scored the first points. Off a pass from Jackson, the Australian knocked down a corner three. Furphy scored 29 points in his previous G League game on March 24th. On Tuesday, he made seven of his first 10 field goals for 18 points thus far.

The Swarm battled throughout the early parts of the fourth quarter and brought the deficit down to 14 points. Furphy ended Greensboro’s scoring run with a running layup at the 6:45 mark. Next time down the floor, Furphy scored from downtown for his second three-pointer of the afternoon. The Mad Ants had a 106-90 lead with six minutes to go in regulation.

Greensboro inched their way closer late in the quarter and made it a 10-point game with three minutes remaining. 30 seconds later, the Swarm scored on a play that resulted in two players getting banged up. Jackson and Marcus Garrett were slow to get up after colliding under the basket. Both players were able to walk it off and remain in the game.

Furphy extended the Mad Ants lead with a three-pointer. Jackson was credited with an assist on the play. Furphy’s shot gave him 25 points on the day.  On the next possession, Mathias added to the lead with a corner three. With 1:37 left in regulation, Indiana had a 115-103 lead.

Down to a minute to go, Dennis added to the lead at the free throw line after making both shots. Greensboro called a timeout with Indiana ahead 118-107. The Swarm came up empty on their next possession following the timeout.

Indiana pulled away down the stretch and kept the Swarm at bay, clinching the victory to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The win marks the first playoff win for the Mad Ants since April 10, 2017. This was the first playoff win at home for Indiana since April 16, 2015. Tuesday’s win was the 13th playoff victory in franchise history.

Next stop for the Mad Ants is Florida where they take on the Osceola Magic. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. It will be broadcast on ESPNews.