The All-Star break has come and gone for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers' G League affiliate.
In their final game before the break on Feb. 13, the Mad Ants picked up a 127-123 win over the Lakeland Magic (Orlando's affiliate) that featured one of the best individual performances in Mad Ants franchise history. Rookie guard Rob Gray exploded for 46 points in the victory, going 12-for-24 from the field, 4-for-6 from 3-point range, and 18-for-19 from the free throw line.
Gray's 46 points were the third most by an individual player ever for the Mad Ants, trailing only Tony Mitchell, who scored 49 and 47 points in a pair of games during the 2012-13 season.
Pacers rookie forward Alize Johnson also had an excellent outing, racking up 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 18 rebounds, and five assists. Ike Nwamu scored 18 points and Stephan Hicks added 16 in the victory.
After a week off, the Mad Ants returned to action on Wednesday night, falling on the road to the Delaware Blue Coats (Philadelphia's affiliate), 140-129. Gray had another strong showing in the loss, tallying 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
Omari Johnson, who took part in training camp with the Pacers last fall, added 28 points while going 5-for-11 from 3-point range and pulled down eight rebounds. Nwamu finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Travin Thibodeaux finished with 14 points and 10 boards.
The Mad Ants are now 19-18 on the season, a half-game behind the Windy City Bulls (Chicago's affiliate) for first place in the Central Division. Fort Wayne will visit Windy City on Friday night before returning home to host the Canton Charge (Cleveland's affiliate) 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 select Mad Ants games for free online.