After the D-Fenders had their winning streak snapped by the Idaho Stampede, they bounced back by beating the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 117-91 Saturday night. Gurad Elijah Millsap ended the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists accumulating his second triple-double of the season. The D-Fenders defense stepped up big keeping the Mad Ants to only 33 points on 36 percent shooting in the first half.
The D-Fenders got a big boost from their new recruits Jamario Moon, Malcom Thomas and Otis George. Moon was 8-12 shooting, ending the game with 18 points, four rebounds and five steals. Thomas received his second consecutive double-double, scoring 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. George contributed with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Adding to that was Oriene Green, Zach Andrews and Courtney Fortson. Green posted 13 points and six assists while Andrews added another 12 points and seven rebounds. Fortson contributed on both sides of the ball, tallying up 10 points, seven assists and three steals.
After finishing 2-1 on a three-game road trip the the D-Fenders are in great shape heading into a three-game home stretch. They hope to take off from where they left off as they face the Dakota Wizards on Sat. March 10.
This is the third and final meeting between the two this season. In their last meeting the D-Fenders fell short to the Wizards 98-97; the last two games between the two have been decided by no more than two points.
In this upcoming game the D-Fenders will need to keep an eye on Maurice Baker, Edwin Ubiles and Chris Wright. The last time the two met, Baker finished with a game-high 31 points. As the season progressed Ubiles and Wright have been averaging almost 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.
The D-Fenders will need a repeat performance from their win over the Mad Ants in order to win by double digits. The D-Fenders will also face the Wizards without Devin Ebanks who was recalled to the L.A. Lakers earlier this week. Ebanks averaged 18 points, six rebounds and two steals a game while with the team. The D-Fenders look to improve their 28-11 record, and remain the number one seed in the league and the Western Conference.