The Westchester Knicks (6-1) were riding a six game win streak to start the 2015-16 season, but suffered their first loss of the season to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (5-3) by just one point. The final score was 98-97.
The Knicks had a hard time trying to get things going in the early morning contest, scoring just six points as a team in the first six minutes. Syracuse alum Rakeem Christmas did not have such a hard time finding his groove, as he scored eight of the Mad Ants’ 28 points in the first quarter. Westchester’s 23.8 shooting percentage lead to Fort Wayne running away with the lead. After the first twelve minutes, Fort Wayne had a 28-17 lead over Westchester.
There was a sign of fight in the Knicks as they were having short runs. It just wasn’t enough as the Mad Ants went ahead by as many as 13 points in the second quarter. Westchester continued to show signs of life with eight points by Cleanthony Early, along with the play of Darion Atkins. Westchester came within five, but still ended up trailing Fort Wayne 54-48 at the half.
It felt the holiday spirit got into Rakeem Christmas in the third quarter, as the forward scored 12 points to give the Mad Ants a huge 18 point advantage. Westchester’s Thanasis Antetokounmpo threw down a huge dunk in the final two minutes. Jordon Crawford hit a jumper to follow the slam, but the Knicks still found themselves trailing by 12 going into the fourth.
It was the annual School Day game, as the Westchester County Center had more than 2,000 students in attendance who were hoping for a comeback. Sean Marshall laid one in off a Jordan Crawford assist to bring the lead down to five early in the fourth quarter. The Mad Ants would not back down and give up the lead the team had all game. With just under three minutes to go, Marshall hit a lay-up to give the home crowd some hope. Following the lay-up, he knocked down a percise jumper to bring Westchester within one point. The Knicks found themselves with the ball following a turnover by Fort Wayne with just 12.4 seconds left in the game. The efficient defensive play by the Mad Ants took the chance away from the Knicks to win the game, as Westchester suffered their first loss under NBA D-League head coach of the month Mike Miller.
Although it was a tough loss to take, Jimmer Fredette found himself close to snagging a triple-double. The stat sheet was filled with numbers by the guard as he ended the game with 22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and five steals. It was a total team effort as Cleanthony Early added 16 points and nine rebounds. Sean Marshall teased a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Darion Atkins had an impressive performance, as he notched a double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds) off the bench.
Mad Ants forward Rakeem Christmas capped off a great game with a game-high 25 points. Along with his 25 points, Christmas recorded 13 rebounds and three blocks. Forward Marcus Simmons collected a double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds) of his own. Guard Xavier Thames showed his all-around game, as he added 14 points, three assists, and three steals.
The Westchester Knicks hit the road for a two-game trip beginning with an 8:30 p.m. ET contest on Friday, December 4th against the Austin Spurs. The game will be broadcast live on the NBA D-League’s YouTube channel. Westchester will face the Oklahoma City Blue the following night at 8:00 p.m. ET.
** Information used for this article came from an official press release obtained from the Westchester Knicks.
The Heat Check Magazine 