INDIANAPOLIS – Point guard Elfrid Payton recorded his fourth triple double of the season on Monday afternoon as Indiana topped Delaware 115-108 in the Mad Ants’ regular season home finale. Payton’s 25 point (12-14 shooting), 15 rebound, 13 assist triple double makes him the Mad Ant franchise leader all-time in triple doubles.
FIRST QUARTER
The teams came out pretty even with Delaware taking a 27-26 lead into the first quarter break behind some big shots from two-way player Terquavion Smith.
SECOND QUARTER
Indiana countered with a hot start from Kendall Brown, on assignment from the Indiana Pacers. Smith finished a game high 26 points for his team, while Brown turned an eight-point opening frame into a 25-point outing with six rebounds. Indiana took a 56-53 lead into the halftime break thanks to a late Kyle Mangas basket. The Indiana native scored 20 points in the game.
THIRD QUARTER
Delaware owned the third quarter, outscoring the Mad Ants 34-19 and ending the quarter on a 17-0 run.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Blue Coats lead, which reached 18 at its peak, continued as they pushed their run to 19-0 to start the fourth quarter before Oscar Tshiebwe’s basket with 10:52 left in the final frame slowed the Blue Coats momentum for a brief time. Delaware continued to hold strong until the final five minutes, where Indiana saw Payton ramp up his already torrid pace, Tshiebwe make a few key defensive stops and Cameron McGriff hit a timely three pointer in front of the Blue Coats bench. Indiana outscored Delaware 40-21 in the final frame.
Behind Payton’s triple double, 25 points from Brown and 20 points from Mangas, the Mad Ants got 15 points from Quenton Jackson and a 12-point, 18 rebound effort from Tshiebwe. Behind Smith’s game high 26 points, the Blue Coats were paced by 19 from Melvin Frazier Jr., 15 points each from Jared Brownridge and Quinton Rose and a 10 point, 16 rebound double double from Aminu Mohammed.
The Mad Ants return to action Wednesday with an 11 a.m. tip in the first of two games visiting the Long Island Nets.
Originally posted on gleague.nba.com