Skyhawks Fall Short Against Mad Ants, 119-113, Splitting Two-Game Series

The College Park Skyhawks (11-7) couldn’t complete the sweep against the Indiana Mad Ants (12-7), falling 119-113 in a hard-fought battle at Gateway Center Arena on Wednesday night. Despite strong performances from multiple players, the Skyhawks were unable to close out the game in the final moments, settling for a split in the two-game series.

Rookie guard Dwight Murray Jr. delivered a career-best performance, scoring 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-5 from deep. He also contributed six assists, four rebounds, and one stealin 35 minutes of action.

Nikola Đurišić had a big night off the bench, netting his second 20-point game of the season with 22 points, a career-high-tying eight rebounds, and a career-best three blocks in just 26 minutes.

Veteran big man Tony Bradley continued his dominant stretch, securing his fourth consecutive double-double and his seventh in the last nine games, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes.

Strong Start, Tight Finish

Just like in Monday’s victory over Indiana, the Skyhawks jumped out to a quick start, building a nine-point first-quarter lead behind 7-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. However, the Mad Ants clawed back in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 65-61 at halftime, thanks to 13-point efforts from Ishmael Lane and Obadiah Noel.

By halftime, five Skyhawks had reached double figures, marking just the second time this season (including the Showcase Cup) that College Park had five or more players score 10+ points in a half.

Indiana came out strong in the third quarter, opening the frame with an 11-2 run to take a five-point lead at the 7:42 mark. They maintained control, heading into the fourth quarter up 91-86.

Back-and-Forth Fourth Quarter

The Skyhawks fought back, regaining a 99-95 lead with just under seven minutes left in the game. But Indiana responded with a crucial 10-0 run, reclaiming the lead at 105-99 with five minutes to go. The two teams then traded buckets down the stretch, setting up a dramatic finish.

With 45 seconds left, College Park tied the game after a driving layup from Đurišić and clutch free throws from Daeqwon Plowden. However, Indiana Pacers two-way guard RayJ Dennis answered with a tough layup to put the Mad Ants back on top with 23 seconds remaining.

Bradley knocked down one free throw to cut the deficit to one, but Dennis responded with two clutch free throws on the other end. A key defensive stop by Indiana with nine seconds left forced College Park into desperation mode, leading to more free throws that sealed the 119-113 final.

Dennis led Indiana with a game-high 31 points and 13 assists, marking his second straight double-double.

Next Up

The Skyhawks will look to bounce back quickly as they wrap up their four-game homestand against the defending NBA G League champion Oklahoma City Blue tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Gateway Center Arena.