Photo Credit: Trung Ho / trungho.ca
Raptors 905 136, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 116 | Box Score
Assignees: Alize Johnson (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
Two-ways: Chris Boucher, Jordan Loyd (905), Davon Reed (Mad Ants)
The 905 capped off their three-game road trip Thursday night with a 136-116 victory over Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Jordan Loyd led the 905 with 33 points on 13 of 16 shooting, while Chris Boucher notched 32 points and 12 rebounds.
Stephen Hicks recorded 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Mad Ants, and assignment player Alize Johnson secured a double-double of his own with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The start wasn’t ideal, as the 905 gave up 42 points in the first quarter to the Mad Ants on 16 of 30 shooting, as both Johnsons (Alize and Omari Johnson) notched 10 points apiece in the opening frame. Boucher picked up two fouls in the quarter which was the reason for his uncharacteristically quiet start to the game, scoring only two points off of two shot attempts in the first quarter.
Trailing by 13 points, Loyd took matters into his own hands, coming into the second quarter with aggression to reel off 9 points in less than two minutes, leading the 905 on an 11-2 run to cut the Mad Ants lead to only 4.
Johnson dominated in and around the paint for the Mad Ants, notching 20 points and 8 rebounds in the first two quarters, and the Mad Ants continued their success getting to the free throw line finishing the half shooting 13 of 15 from the stripe. Despite a couple of mini-runs by Fort Wayne, the 905 were able to counter their slow start to the game and finish the second quarter outscoring the Mad Ants 39-27.
The 905 moved ahead of the Mad Ants on the opening play of the second half on a Boucher dunk, who would go on to lead the 905’s continued offensive outpour with 15 third-quarter points. By the end of the period, five 905 players were already in double-digit scoring as they opened the lead to 101-95 entering the final period.
Two early fourth quarter trips to the free throw line closed the gap for the Mad Ants to 101-99, but it was the closest the game would come to for the remainder of the night as the 905 remain perfect this season on road games. Deng Adel and Kyle Collinsworth also added to the 905’s massive scoring load tonight, recording 22 and 17 points, respectively. The 905 head back home to face Grand Rapid Drives on Sunday with a 2:00PM tipoff.
Notes
- Two-Way 905 Player Notes:
- Loyd and Boucher once again put on a duo-scoring clinic, both scoring 30-plus points for the second game in the row (it’s the fourth in a row for Boucher). Boucher picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter and the bench couldn’t quite fill the offensive void, and Loyd was able to take matters into his own hands in the second quarter to kick-start the 905 run that would continue for the next three quarters.
- Other 905 Player Notes
- The 905 were short-handed tonight, with Duane Notice currently with Team Canada to compete in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers. Uche Ofoegbu was also absent, as he served his one-game suspension for leaving the bench in the previous game against Erie BayHawks during an on-court altercation.
- Mad Ants notes:
- Alize Johnson was on assignment with the Mad Ants tonight for his seventh game with the G League club, and scored 20 points on 9 of 18 shooting. Johnson has only appeared in three games with the Pacers this season.
- Two-way player Edmond Sumner was called up to the Pacers on November 26th as he scored one 3-pointer in 4.5 minutes against Utah Jazz. Sumner was inactive tonight with Fort Wayne, but had been averaging 24.6 points and 3.8 assists this season in the G League.
