STEPHEN HICKS’ TRIPLE-DOUBLE DOWNS WINDY CITY ON THE SECOND NIGHT OF A BACK-TO-BACK, 114-111

[caption id="attachment_2458" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/NBAE via Getty Images[/caption]

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – The Windy City Bulls, presented by BMO Harris Bank, the NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, fell short on the second night of a back-to-back, losing to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, 114-111.

For the third time this season, Windy City had five double-figure scorers, led by Jarell Eddie and Michael Mulder who each had 24. Mulder started in place of Antonio Blakeney who set the franchise record with 44 points in Friday’s night’s overtime win. Mulder shot 66 percent from the field (10-15 FG) and added four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Eddie collected his second 20-point performance in his many nights and posted his 19th consecutive game scoring in double figures. Tyler Harris tallied a near double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds in his first NBA G League start. Diamond Stone scored 18, Brandon Wood pitched in with 10 points off the bench and Ryan Arcidiacono dished out double-digit assists (12) for the second consecutive night.

The Bulls got out of the gate quickly on a 9-3 run but the hot start would be short-lived as Fort Wayne would answer back with 23-11 run of their own. The Mad Ants would enjoy an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter, which turned out to be their largest lead of the evening.

On the heels of a hot shooting second quarter, Windy City opened the second frame with a 17-6 run and had a one-point lead with 7:33 remaining in the half. The Bulls shot 74 percent in the quarter and outscored the Mad Ants 38-24.

Fort Wayne had six of its nine players score in double figures, led by Stephan Hicks who registered a triple-double (15 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists). Walter Lemon Jr. posted 24 points on the way to his first double-double of the season (24 points, 10 assists) and Jarrod Uthoff contributed 24 points for the Mad Ants.

The Bulls would extend their three-point halftime advantage and carry a six-point lead into the final 12 minutes. Despite a nip-and-tuck fourth quarter, Windy City enjoyed an eight-point lead on two separate occasions. With the game tied and 59 seconds remaining, Ryan Arcidiacono would give the Bulls the lead on a driving layup. However, that is the final time Windy City would lead as Fort Wayne would end the game on a 7-2 run in the final 46 seconds to squeak out the road victory.

Rebounding and capitalizing on mistakes is what led to the Bulls third loss of the season. Fort Wayne outrebounded the Bulls by 10 on the offensive glass which lead to a 26-6 advantage in second-chance points. The Bulls also turned the ball over 13 times resulting in 20 Mad Ants points.

The Bulls hit the road for 17 days beginning with the Delaware 87ers on Wednesday. Their next home game will be Nov. 29 against the Erie Bayhawks.

Fans can stay up-to-date on team news by following the team on Twitter (@WindyCityBulls) or visiting (windycity.gleague.nba.com). Full season membership, group, and single tickets for the 2017-18 Windy City Bulls season are on sale now. For all ticket information and full season schedule, visit WindyCityBulls.com.