Last weekend, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and their D-League counterparts descended upon Mississauga, Ontario for the annual D-League Showcase. The five-day event brings all the teams to one city for scouting purposes and features 22 games over five days.
The Mad Ants played twice in the Showcase, dropping games against the Windy City Bulls and Maine Red Claws. Fort Wayne is now 15-9 on the season and in second place in the Central Division.
Two second-year Pacers players joined the Mad Ants on assignment for the Showcase. Point guard Joe Young and forward Rakeem Christmas traveled to Ontario to get some playing time before being recalled back to Indiana on Monday.
Both Young and Christmas were in the Mad Ants' starting lineup on Thursday, but Fort Wayne fell behind early and never recovered in a 102-78 loss to Windy City, Chicago's D-League affiliate.
Rookie forward Alex Poythress led the Mad Ants with 18 points in the loss. Young added 17 points, going 3-for-7 from 3-point range, and also collected three rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks. Christmas tallied five points, six boards, and a block in 17 minutes.
The Mad Ants were more competitive on Saturday, but still came up short in a 112-107 loss to the Red Claws, Boston's D-League affiliate. Stephan Hicks scored a team-high 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss, while Poythress recorded a double-double with 21 points and 14 boards.
Three other players scored in double figures for the Mad Ants. Trey McKinney-Jones scored 17 points, former UIndy guard Jordan Loyd had 16 points off the bench, and Travis Leslie contributed 15 points and five rebounds.
Young and Christmas played sparingly in the contest. Young registered four points and three assists in 15 minutes. Christmas saw just three minutes of action.
A few Mad Ants players remain among the league's leaders. Poythress (19.4 points per game) is tied for 13th in the D-League in scoring as of Tuesday morning and also tied for fifth in blocks (1.8 per game). Point guard Julyan Stone is second in the league in assists, averaging 8.3 per contest.
The Mad Ants hit the road for three games this week. They'll visit the Erie Bayhawks on Wednesday, play at Windy City on Friday, and then visit the Canton Charge on Saturday.
Stay tuned to Pacers.com for continued updates on the Mad Ants, and make sure to check out Pacers.com/MadAntsTV » to watch Mad Ants games free online.
