Defense lifts Fort Wayne Mad Ants to 112-92 victory over Raptors 905
By David Kenyon
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Terran Petteway poured in 22 points and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants earned a 112-92 victory over Raptors 905 on Sunday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Although they didn’t need a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win this time around, defense once again carried the Mad Ants. They forced 26 turnovers, scoring 30 points off the takeaways.
“We’ve still got a lot to work on on the defensive end,” head coach Steve Gansey said. “But forcing 26 turnovers was really impressive, really special for us. [Holding Raptors 905] to 40 points in the first half is just really good.”
Nine players recorded at least one steal, while five others — even Anthony Harris, who at 6-2 is the smallest player on the roster — added a block.
Harris swatted Shannon Scott, sprinted up the floor and passed to a wide-open Ramon Harris for an uncontested triple in transition. The veteran Harris’ combined for 15 points and seven assists during the second quarter.
“Ramon and Anthony, those guys are just ready at all times,” Gansey said. “They get in the game, have good spacing. They know exactly what I want from previous years.”
Ramon connected on all three of his attempts from long distance. Anthony finished with eight points and five assists, one of which set up a thunderous slam for Rakeem Christmas.
Christmas tallied 19 points and nine rebounds, while fellow Indiana Pacers assignee Shayne Whittington managed 12 points thanks to a 4-of-9 clip from long distance. However, he missed all six shots inside the arc.
“I shot pretty well from 3 today,” Whittington said. “If I can be 50 percent every night — especially with the looks I’m getting — I’ll be satisfied, but I need to be more consistent hitting my rim-2s and short-range jumpers.”
Whittington buried two of triples within the opening five minutes, but he picked up two fouls and headed to the bench.
Petteway took over, scoring 10 of his 22 points during the first quarter. The Nebraska product shook off a disappointing season debut in which he finished 1-of-9 and the Mad Ants shot 36.4 overall.
“We got the first-game jitters out,” Petteway said. “We came out here and played as a team, and it showed on the scoreboard.”
Fort Wayne never trailed and led by as much as 30 points, improving to 2-0 on the season. The bench held a 51-31 scoring edge over the Raptors 905 reserves.
Toronto Raptors assignees Bruno Caboclo and Lucas “Bebê” Nogueira had opposite performances.
Caboclo netted a game-best 25 points and grabbed six rebounds, but the Mad Ants frustrated Nogueira throughout the night. He was visibly upset with his struggles near the rim, couldn’t hit outside jumpers and picked up a Flagrant 1 after smacking Fort Wayne’s Xavier Thames.
Scott Suggs added 18 points and Melvin Johnson III pitched in 15 points and seven boards for Raptors 905, who will attempt to beat the Maine Red Claws on Nov. 18 for the first regular-season win in franchise history.
The Mad Ants will host the Delaware 87ers on Nov. 21.