The Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Erie Bayhawks game on Friday was advertised as one of the best backcourt match-ups of the season, with Gary Talton and Andre Emmett going up against Seth Curry and Peyton Siva. However, the Mad Ants showed that they were ready for the challenge, winning by a final score of 103-91. January’s Player of the Month, Andre Emmett, led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Gary Talton played very well, chipping in 17 points and dishing out 16 assists. Talton is the second leading assister in the D-League. On paper, the Bayhawks have a stacked roster, including future NBA call-ups Seth Curry and Peyton Siva, as well as former Wisconsin guard John Bohannon. Curry, the number one scorer in the D-League, scored 20 points and added 2 assists. Siva, who is considered to be one of the best passers, had zero assists and 2 points in the game. Despite their talent, they struggled.

In the first half, Emmett was proving that he deserved all of his accolades. That is when he scored 14 of his points and most of them were in the paint. Talton did his share of scoring as well, contributing 8 points. CJ Fair entered the game, and he just seems to get better each time on the floor. Fair is making a living off of his mid-range jumper, and he dunked home a couple of baskets on fast breaks led by Talton. Will Sheehey was finally able to break the starting lineup, and played like he wanted to stay there. He fiercely dunked at every opportunity, made a three pointer, and was perfect with his free throws.

On the other side, the Bayhawks could not seem to get the ball in the hoop. They had zero points for the early part of the first quarter, until Curry was able to get to the free-throw line. That got them going, as Curry began to get more aggressive in attacking the basket. Guard Kadeem Batts started making shots to help Curry out, as well as Drew Crawford. Crawford is usually a good shooter, but had a rough night, only making 3 of his 10 attempts for 6 points. John Bohannon, who Bawhawks Head Coach Bill Peterson believes has all the potential in the world, played a balanced and consistent game. He scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, making him the only player on the Bayhawks to have a double-double.

By the beginning of the third quarter, the score was relatively close, 50-58, with the Mad Ants winning. So, the Bayhawks turned up the intensity. Curry took more risks by driving into the paint instead of settling for jumpers. He got to the free throw line a good bit and came away with 8 points. Devyn Marble, another sharpshooter for the Bayhawks, came back into the game after making 2 three-pointers in the first half. He made another three-pointer and had a few mid range shots to give him 13 points on the night. Siva could not seem to get his offense rolling, however, and the lack of potential firepower was apparent.

The Mad Ants had ran away with the game by the end of the third quarter, leading by a score of 83-68. The fourth quarter, like most Mad Ants matchups, was a battle to the finish. Forward Ramon Harris and center Will Frisby were stretching out the defense by making threes. Emmett and Talton continued to elude defenders and find the hoop. The Bayhawks’ Marble and Bohannon played hard, but outside of Seth Curry, the effort of the rest of the team at that point was lackluster at best.

The Erie Bayhawks are 12-19 after the loss and now stand on 4-13 on the road. They are third in the Atlanic division. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are now 19-12 and are back atop the Central division after the Sioux Falls Skyforce lost their last two games.

By Joshua Hamer