The 2018-19 season came to an end for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers' G League affiliate, over the weekend. A seven-game losing streak doomed the Mad Ants' playoff hopes, but they closed the season on a high note, winning two of their final three games last week.
Fort Wayne picked up a 105-100 win over the Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee's affiliate) last Tuesday. Pacers rookie forward Alize Johnson had a team-high 20 points in the win and also pulled down nine rebounds.
Second-year Pacers guard Edmond Sumner chipped in 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Omari Johnson — who attended Pacers training camp last fall — tallied 17 points and seven boards, while Travin Thibodeaux had a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds) off the bench.
Two nights later, the Mad Ants prevailed in their final road game of the season, beating the Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte's affiliate), 127-115. Alize Johnson had an eye-popping stat line in the win, with 13 points, 20 rebounds (eight offensive), and eight assists.
Stephan Hicks — who signed a 10-day contract with the Pacers earlier this season — had a team-high 25 points in the victory. Two-way guard Davon Reed added 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Sumner tallied 16 points and seven assists.
The Mad Ants closed their season on Saturday with a narrow 121-118 loss to the Grand Rapids Drive (Detroit's affiliate). Johnson was once again the star, scoring 34 points on 13-of-24 shooting (4-of-9 from 3-point range) and pulling down 11 rebounds.
Rookie Rob Gray had 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists off the bench. Hicks added 15 points and nine rebounds, Sumner scored 13 points and dished out 10 assists, and Reed chipped in 11 points, eight boards, five assists, and two steals.
The Mad Ants finished the year 23-27 and in third place in the Central Division. Sumner led the team in scoring, averaging 22.1 points and 4.1 assists over 26 games. Johnson played in 31 games for Fort Wayne, averaging 19.1 points and 13.5 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from 3-point range. Reed averaged 13.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists over 34 games.
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.