FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A late third-quarter run gave the Fort Wayne Mad Ants confidence, but the Canton Charge owned the fourth frame to record a 106-101 victory Thursday night.
The Mad Ants recovered from a 10-point deficit and entered the closing period trailing 81-80. However, they managed just four points through nine minutes, and Canton pulled ahead 96-84.
Michael Dunigan led the Charge (13-13) with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while John Holland and Quinn Cook added 18 each. The trio scored the team’s final 14 points to seal the win.
Canton earned a 58-38 advantage in the paint. Fort Wayne head coach Steve Gansey attributed that disparity to Dunigan’s presence, as well as more physicality from the Charge.
“Dunigan is a very physical player. They had 15 second-chance points, they had 58 points in the paint,” Gansey said. “That’s what they want to do. They want to execute. They’re not a 3-point shooting team, they were 4-for-21. We’ve got to learn to defend without fouling.”
The Mad Ants were whistled for 31 fouls, and Canton connected on 26-of-34 free-throw attempts.
John Lucas III netted 26 points during his home debut for Fort Wayne, which dropped to 12-13.
Walter Lemon Jr. chipped in 19 points. Rakeem Christmas managed 18, while C.J. Fair tallied 18 points, 16 rebounds and three assists.
Frontcourt depth was a considerable issue for the Mad Ants throughout the physical contest, especially since the Indiana Pacers recently recalled Shayne Whittington. Rakeem Christmas fouled out and Travis Hyman picked up five personals. Marcus Simmons also fouled out.
Mad Ants guard Stephan Hicks missed the game due to a concussion.
Observations
Michael Dunigan: Put simply, Dunigan was more active and — again — more physical than everyone else on the blocks. Dunigan dictated his post moves, not allowing Fort Wayne to successfully force him in a certain direction.
John Lucas III: Skill-wise, he was arguably the most NBA-worthy player on the floor Thursday. Lucas, 33, was decisive and generally a smart shot-taker. But at 5-11 and 166 pounds, his physical limitations are glaringly obvious, most notably when he enters the paint. Off-balance shots are a necessity but not Lucas’ strength.
Rakeem Christmas: Sometimes, Christmas’ effort was questionable. Dunigan consistently outworked the Pacers assignee. The Syracuse product basically stumbled into his rebounds, and Christmas only had four boards in 29 minutes anyway. He pounded away at Jon Horford but never showed the same physicality vs. Dunigan.
Walter Lemon Jr.: Quick and explosive, as per the usual, but we’ve covered Lemon’s offensive skills. Defensively, he’s tremendous moving laterally. However, he struggles to fight through screens and gets caught looking off the ball. Gansey said he wants Lemon be a more consistent rebounder and improve his weak-side defending. Unrelated, great finish on an alley-oop from Petteway.
Rapid-Fire Notes
Without a horde of NBA assignees this time around, I compiled a variety of quick notes on players who typically don’t receive that level of attention.
Travis Hyman: Recent addition to the Mad Ants roster. Vocal and smart defender, regularly calling out switches and double-teams. However, physical skills don’t match mental prowess.
C.J. Fair: The high-arcing fadeaway jumper is Fair’s go-to shot.
Anthony Walker: You probably won’t hear his name anytime soon. Thursday marked his third appearance of the season, usually a healthy inactive. Won’t fill box scores, but Walker has serious springs — hence one staffer calling him “Skywalk.”
Nick Minnerath: Another smart player. Adept at finding open areas on court, whether around the perimeter or cutting to the rim. Loves to exploit mismatches down low and works hard to create them by causing switches as a screener.
Michael Stockton: I think he hates shooting. Or he’s scared of missing. Or he can’t shake the last name. Shoot the ball, Stockton.
Sir’Dominic Pointer: Can’t criticize his effort. Production is a different story. Also, ever wonder how a technical is decided? Pointer received one after complaining about a delay-of-game warning. Running up the sideline, referee (Tiara Cruse) calmly said, “Let it go.” Pointer did not. “Let it go.” He continued. Cruse called the technical.