Attacking mentality fuels Mad Ants’ shellacking of Energy

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — “For the record, this feels good.”

After losing five straight games, Fort Wayne Mad Ants coach Steve Gansey was weary of answering questions about why his team had fallen short. But on Sunday, the Mad Ants left no doubt which side had the superior squad and blasted the Iowa Energy 110-85.

Indiana Pacers assignee Rakeem Christmas set the tone for Fort Wayne’s consistently aggressive offense, which took advantage of Alex Stepheson’s absence near the rim.

“I was preaching toughness — being physical inside — and Rakeem [Christmas] did right in the beginning,” Gansey said, pointing out the Mad Ants’ 46-24 edge in the paint.

In addition to Christmas’ 13 points and seven boards, he set up teammates for rebounds on both ends of the court. The Syracuse product capitalized on size mismatches and was simply more physical than Iowa center Ty Walker.

Fort Wayne, which was without Walter Lemon Jr. (ill), finished the contest an impressive 38-of-54 clip inside the arc. CJ Fair netted a game-best 24 points.

“We wanted to come out there and set the tone early and compete,” Fair said. “That was the main thing: Compete. Shots started falling early and we got into a rhythm.”

But the Mad Ants weren’t the only players who opened the game on a tear.

Ramon Harris, who appeared in 152 games from 2011-16 with Fort Wayne before getting traded to Iowa in January, poured in 13 points to help Iowa grab a 27-23 lead after one quarter.

However, the Energy converted just three of their 17 field-goal attempts and committed seven turnovers during the second frame. Fort Wayne won the period 31-12 and surged ahead 54-39.

It was more of the same in the third quarter, after which the Mad Ants held a dominant 86-60 advantage.

Terran Petteway recorded his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow reserve Stephan Hicks added 18 points.

Jarell Martin’s 19 points led the Energy.

Fort Wayne jumped to 16-21, and Iowa fell to 17-20.

Note: All statistics reflect the version distributed on site following the game. Some totals are different in the NBA D-League box score.

Observations

Rakeem Christmas: Probably the first time in two months I left the Coliseum more than marginally impressed with Christmas’ performance. Even had two assists, which is notable because he had a total of zero during the last nine games combined.

Granted, Christmas was simply decent against Jarell Martin, Iowa’s lone NBA-caliber big. Plus, Christmas was in foul trouble yet again. He’s had at least four personals in 13 of the last 14 games.

Shayne Whittington: Respectable “teammate game,” for lack of a better term. Whittington notched nine rebounds, dished five assists and wasn’t a defensive liability. However, he was 0-of-5 from 3-point range, meaning the Pacers assignee is 1-of-14 throughout the last four home outings.

At this point, it might be worth taking long 2-point jumpers and slowly working back toward the arc in pick-and-pop. Whittington is a willing screener, though defenders often slide by him without taking much contact.

Terran Petteway: Fresh off a 23-point outburst, Petteway had another solid offensive night. He hit 8-of-13 attempts and — though the box score only shows two assists — created numerous chances. Petteway attacked the paint and found an open teammate, who typically ended up throwing another pass. Helps explain lack of assists.

CJ Fair: Liked how the left-hander hit shots from everywhere, something that doesn’t always happen. Fair is excellent from straight on and buried a couple there, but he also nailed a few jumpers from the left wing and at least one from each corner, the right wing and at the rim.

Jarell Martin: Thought he should’ve played more. In only 26 minutes, Martin was 8-of-14 from the field for 19 points. Pleasantly surprised with his defensive contributions, too. Gansey pointed out Martin as a much-improved player.

Andrew Harrison: Quiet offensive night with only 10 points and two assists. On-ball defense was inconsistent, but Harrison grabbed my attention at least twice when he helped on post-ups, swiping the ball and either knocking it loose or forcing a slow pass to the perimeter.