Mad Ants defeat Magic behind Furphy’s double-double

The REPORTER

The Indiana Mad Ants continued their homestand with a Friday afternoon matchup against the Osceola Magic. Two days after falling to Osceola, the Mad Ants bounced back with a 119-108 victory. RayJ Dennis led Indiana with 22 points while Johnny Furphy notched career highs with 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Jahlil Okafor scored the first points of the afternoon. The veteran center did some work in the paint before sinking the close-range hook shot. Johnny Furphy scored for the Mad Ants two possessions later with a running layup. RayJ Dennis made his first field goal with a right-hand floater. Dennis knocked down a three-pointer as Indiana started the game on a 9-0 run.

Halfway through the first quarter, Okafor cleaned up a miss from Dennis. The 29-year-old scored his second field goal of the day with a close-range hook shot. On the next possession, Okafor kicked out to the corner and Dennis connected on a three-point field goal. Quenton Jackon found his stroke from long range on the following possession. With four minutes to go, Indiana had a 23-19 lead.

In the final minutes of the quarter, Dennis finished at the rim with a layup to give him 10 points. The two-way guard missed Wednesday’s contest with an ankle injury. On the next possession, Enrique Freeman cleaned up a missed shot from Jackson and regained the lead for Indiana. Osceola stormed back to take a 34-29 lead after one quarter of play. Dennis led the Mad Ants with 10 points.

Obadiah Noel scored the first points of the second quarter for Indiana. With time winding down on the shot clock, Noel was able to lay it in to beat the buzzer. Noel scored the next possession with Dennis recording the assist. Kyle Mangas scored on the following trip down the floor after knocking down a three-pointer. Indiana tied the game at 36 after two minutes of play.

After regaining the lead, Dennis extended the lead with a three-pointer from the top of the key. With five minutes to go in the first half, Indiana had a 51-47 lead over Osceola. Two minutes later, Dakota Mathias converted his second four-point play of the season.

With two minutes to go in the half, Mathias scored with a mid-range jumper to extend the Mad Ants lead to 64-51. Osceola went a run to end the quarter, but Indiana had a 64-61 lead at halftime. Dennis had a game-high 17 points at halftime.

Furphy scored the first points of the second half for the Mad Ants. The Aussie got the steal and finished at the rim with a contested layup. Furphy’s basket gave him a new career-high with 13 points. The first-year pro was sent on assignment to the Mad Ants by the Indiana Pacers earlier this week.

With six minutes to go in the third, the game was tied at 73. Jackson broke the tie with a fadeaway jumper. On the next possession, Mangas made a mid-ranger jumper to keep the Mad Ants in front.

Quenton Jackson, after an altercation with Mac McClung, was ejected from the game after the officials upgraded it from a personal foul to a flagrant 2 foul.

Down the stretch in the third quarter, a three-pointer from Mangas regained the lead for the Mad Ants at 85-83. Freeman drained a field goal from downtown with one minute remaining in the quarter. Furphy added to his career-high with a layup on the following possession. A late basket from the Magic forced a 90-90 tie at the end of the third quarter. Dennis had a team-high 22 points after three quarters of play.

Mangas scored the first points for the Mad Ants in the fourth quarter. The Indiana native attacked the paint and drew a foul. He converted the one-for-two free throw attempt. Thirty seconds later, Furphy delivered a nice pass to Freeman who made the contested layup.

With six minutes left in regulation, the Mad Ants had a 100-96 lead. Mathias extended the lead with a three-pointer on the next possession. Freeman scored with a reverse layup on Indiana’s next trip down the floor. Mangas recorded the assist.

The Mad Ants extended their lead to 115-104 with two minutes remaining in regulation. Mangas added to the point total with a reverse layup. Almost a minute later, Freeman added two more points with a close-range hook shot. Indiana pulled away at the end and secured a 119-108 victory.

The Indiana Mad Ants will remain at home for their next three games.  They will host the Long Island Nets at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Then, the South Bay Lakers and Wisconsin Herd come to town on Tuesday, Jan. 14 and Jan. 17.