Josiah-Jordan James scores career-high as Indiana Mad Ants fall to Osceola Magic

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The Indiana Mad Ants continued their homestand with a Wednesday afternoon matchup against the Osceola Magic.

On day two of a back-to-back, the Mad Ants trailed early before storming back and putting pressure on Osceola. However, late in the fourth quarter the Magic pulled away and secured the win. Josiah-Jordan James scored a career-best 21 points while Quenton Jackson contributed with a team-high 22.

Josiah-Jordan James scored the first points of the day for the Mad Ants. After pump faking in the corner, he drove the lane and made the reverse layup. Two possessions later, Jahlil Okafor scored his first points of the day with a hook shot off the glass.

Halfway through the first quarter, Dakota Mathias made a pullup jumper. His field goal pulled the Mad Ants to within six points. Osceola had a 21-15 lead. Two possessions later, the former Purdue star made another pullup jumper. Kyle Mangas connected from downtown to cut into the deficit. With four minutes left in the quarter, Indiana trailed by five.

Down to two minutes left in the quarter, Ishmael Lane scored in the paint. Mathias recorded his second assist on the play. Johnny Furphy, on assignment from the Indiana Pacers, drew a shooting foul on the following possession and converted the one-for-two free throw. Cameron McGriff made his first field goal of the day with 10 seconds to go. After one quarter, the Mad Ants trailed 40-28. Mathias led the Mad Ants with nine points.

Quenton Jackson scored the first points of the second quarter for Indiana. After drawing a foul, he knocked down the one-for-two free throw. Okafor scored 30 seconds later after spinning and connected on the close-range hook shot. It was Okafor’s third field goal of the day.

In the final minutes of the first half, Jackson knocked down a three-pointer to give him nine points. James scored on the following possession with a turnaround jumper. The former Tennessee Volunteer made a field goal from three-point range on the next possession. The lefty made it three consecutive field goals with another three-ball. Obadiah Noel got credit for the assist on the basket. Noel, playing in his first game since Dec. 9, scored a last-second layup to help cut into the deficit. Indiana trailed 66-48 at halftime. Jackson led the Mad Ants with 11 first-half points.

Furphy scored the first points of the second half for the Mad Ants. The Aussie drew a foul and made the one-for-two free throw. On the next possession, Furphy again drove the lane and drew a shooting foul. And again, he made the one-for-two free throw attempt. Jackson scored on the following possession with a right-hand floater.

After trailing by as many as 26 points, the Mad Ants got off to a strong start in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 11 points with seven minutes to go. Baskets from Mathias, Mangas and Noel made it an eight-point deficit with four minutes remaining.

Late in the third quarter, Furphy recorded a steal and found Jackson with an outlet pass. The two-way guard finished on the other end with a two-handed slam. On the next possession, James was successful from three-point range. It was his fifth made three. Jackson made a floater to beat the buzzer. Indiana trailed 86-82 at the end of the quarter. James led all Mad Ants scorers with 19 points heading into the fourth quarter.

The Mad Ants outscored Osceola 34-20 in the third quarter. Mathias scored the first points for Indiana in the fourth quarter. His mid-range jumper brought the Mad Ants to within four points. A minute later, James continued to add to his point total with a made field goal.

With six minutes to go in regulation, Noel knocked down a three-pointer with Jackson getting the assist. He scored four of his first five field goals in his first game action in nearly a month.

Throughout the fourth quarter, the Magic were able to pull away from the Mad Ants. Indiana dropped the Wednesday matinee to Osceola by a final score of 118-98.

The Mad Ants will remain at home for their next four games. They will host the Magic again at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. The Mad Ants host the Long Island Nets at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. Next week, the South Bay Lakers and Wisconsin Herd come to town on Tuesday, Jan. 14 and Friday, Jan. 17.

About the Indiana Mad Ants
The Indiana Mad Ants are the G League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers. The franchise is currently playing in its 18th season dating back to 2007-2008. The Mad Ants have been a part of Pacers Sports and Entertainment since 2015. The club plays their home games at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, located at 125 S. Pennsylvania St. in downtown Indianapolis. Purchase Mad Ants tickets here or visit the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Box Office.