The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers' D-League affiliate, went 2-1 last week, remaining in front in what is turning into a tight playoff race.
At 22-16 on the season, Fort Wayne is in second place in the Central Division. The two non-division winners with the best record in each conference earn a "wild card" berth in the D-League playoffs. The Mad Ants currently have a narrow hold on the first wild card spot, percentage points ahead of the Canton Charge (23-17) and a half-game up on the Delaware 87ers (22-17). The Mad Ants have 12 games left in the regular season.
The big news in Fort Wayne this week was the signing of Tyler Hansbrough. The Pacers drafted Hansbrough out of North Carolina with the 13th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The 6-9 forward played for four seasons with the Blue & Gold, then spent two seasons in Toronto and last season with Charlotte. He had not played this season before entering the D-League player pool last week. The Mad Ants claimed him off waivers.
Hansbrough appeared in two games off the bench for Fort Wayne last weekend, averaging 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
But before Hansbrough officially signed, the Mad Ants tipped off the week with a dominant road performance last Wednesday in Michigan. Fort Wayne shot 55 percent from the field and knocked down 14 3-pointers in a 136-105 shellacking of the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons' affiliate.
Jordan Loyd, a rookie guard out of UIndy, flirted with a triple-double in the win. Loyd finished with a game-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting (5-of-9 from 3-point range), dished out 11 assists, and collected seven rebounds.
Travis Leslie added 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Jarrod Uthoff chipped in 20 points and nine rebounds, while former Indiana University sharpshooter Nick Zeisloft went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc en route to 20 points off the bench.
The Mad Ants picked up another win on Friday, coming away with a 106-94 victory over the Westchester Knicks — New York's affiliate — in Fort Wayne. Uthoff was the star, putting together a monster double-double with 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 20 rebounds.
Stephan Hicks added 18 points and eight rebounds. Loyd again came close to a triple-double, this time finishing with 17 points, eight boards, and nine assists.
Hansbrough logged 17 minutes in his debut with the Mad Ants. He went just 1-for-6 from the field, but 6-for-8 from the foul line, finishing the night with eight points and seven rebounds.
Fort Wayne closed the week in Canton, where they fell to the Charge, Cleveland's affiliate, 121-116. Kay Felder, a rookie guard on assignment from the Cavaliers, exploded for 41 points, going 6-for-9 from 3-point range and 13-for-13 from the free throw line.
All-Star big man Alex Poythress had a team-high 28 points for the Mad Ants on 10-of-14 shooting. Loyd added 17 points, Leslie scored 16, and Uthoff chipped in 14 and seven rebounds.
Hansbrough recorded a double-double in 37 minutes off the bench, scoring 15 points and pulling down 10 boards.
Poythress remains among the league leaders in scoring (tied for 15th at 18.5 points per game) and blocks (tied for 10th at 1.5 per contest).
The Mad Ants will now embark on a five-game Western Conference road trip that includes three games this week. They play in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 8 at 9:00 PM ET, in Santa Cruz at 10:00 PM ET on Friday, and at Los Angeles at 9:30 PM ET on Saturday.
Another familiar face will join the Mad Ants on the trip, as Fort Wayne announced on Tuesday that it has added Marquis Teague to the roster. Teague, an NBA veteran and the younger brother of Pacers point guard Jeff Teague, was acquired via a trade with the Oklahoma City Blue, where he was averaging 15.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 31 minutes per game.
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.