Mad Ants finish road trip with dominant win in Birmingham

The REPORTER

The Indiana Mad Ants concluded their three-game road trip Thursday night against the Birmingham Squadron (New Orleans Pelicans affiliate). The Mad Ants never trailed the Squadron on their way to a 127-105 victory. Six of the eight active players scored in double figures for Indiana. RayJ Dennis (27) and Quenton Jackson (25) carried the offense. The Mad Ants finished their three-game road trip winning two of the three games.

The Mad Ants were once again shorthanded with no Stephan Hicks, Josiah-Jordan James, Kyle Mangas or Dakota Mathias. Obadiah Noel scored the first points of the night. On the second possession of the game, Noel knocked down a three-pointer. Jackson scored on the following possession with a running layup.

Halfway through the first quarter, Jackson added to his point total with a contested layup. His field goal made it a 15-12 lead for Indiana and led to a timeout called by Birmingham. After the timeout, Dennis drove the lane and missed a close-range field goal. Cameron McGriff cleaned up the miss with a put-back slam on top of a Squadron defender.

In the final minutes of the quarter, Yor Anei drew a foul and made the one-for-two free throw attempt. On the next possession, Jackson found an opening and knocked down a mid-ranger jumper. Next time down the floor, Keisei Tominaga drilled a three-pointer. With time winding down in the quarter, Jackson drew a shooting foul and converted the one-for-two free throw.

Indiana shot an impressive 72 percent from the field in the first quarter. They made 13 of 18 field goal attempts on their way to a 36-27 lead. Jackson led the Mad Ants with 10 points in the first quarter.

Anei scored the first points of the second quarter. The big man was left open on the perimeter, and he knocked down the three-point field goal. Dennis scored on the following possession with a mid-range jumper.

Leading 48-36 with just under seven minutes to go in the first half, Tominaga drained a corner three giving him eight points off the bench. Tominaga entered the night leading the team with a 61 percent three-point percentage in the regular season.

With under three minutes remaining in the half, Dennis drove the lane and drew a shooting foul. The two-way guard knocked down the free throw worth two points. On the next possession, Ishmael Lane scored with a baseline jumper. McGriff scored 30 seconds later after drawing a foul and making his one-for-two free throw attempt. Next time down the floor, McGriff found Lane who rocked the rim with a two-handed dunk. Indiana had a 63-52 lead at halftime. Lane led the Mad Ants with 14 first half points.

Jackson scored the first points of the second half. On the first possession of the third quarter, the two-way guard made a long-range jumper worth two points. About a minute later, Lane drew a foul and made the one-for-two free throw.

Halfway through the third quarter, Jackson scored with a fadeaway jumper from the mid-range. Next time down the floor, Dennis knocked down a three-pointer. Lane added to his point total 20 seconds later with a close-range basket. The Mad Ants led 85-65 with six minutes remaining in the quarter.

McGriff added to his point total after making a three-pointer with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter. Two possessions later, Tominaga scored two more points. After missing his initial shot, he scored with a put-back bucket. Dennis intercepted Birmingham’s inbound pass for a layup. With time winding down in the quarter, Jackson scored on an acrobatic layup. Indiana had a 103-80 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Dennis led the team with 26 points through three quarters.

After some empty possessions to start the quarter, Tominaga scored the first points for either team with a three-pointer. On the next possession, Jackson scored with a contested layup. He drew a foul and made the free throw to convert the and-one.

With seven minutes left in regulation, Tominaga drew a foul and made his one-for-two free throw attempt. Nearly a minute later, Noel knocked down a three-pointer giving him 15 points on the night.

The Mad Ants never trailed in the ballgame while six of the eight active players scored in double figures. This included 27 points from Dennis, 25 from Jackson and 17 from Tominaga.

After the All-Star Break, the Mad Ants return home on Feb. 20 to face the Maine Celtics. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Indiana will remain at home on Feb. 24 to take on the Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte Hornets affiliate). Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.