WINDY CITY COLLECTS FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN, BEAT FORT WAYNE 116-98

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019

WINDY CITY COLLECTS FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN

BEAT FORT WAYNE 116-98

The Windy City Bulls, presented by BMO Harris Bank, the NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, collected their fourth consecutive win with a 116-98 victory over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Friday night at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

Five Windy City players scored in double figures led by Kaiser Gates who poured in a game and career-high 24 points off the bench. JaKarr Sampson recorded his third straight double-double and posted 23 points and 10 rebounds on 10-of-11 shooting, while Mychal Mulder had 18 points with four made threes. Walt Lemon Jr. nearly had a triple-double and recorded 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists and Rawle Alkins pitched in with a stat line of 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Rob Gray led the way for Fort Wayne totaling 18 points and seven assists, while logging a game-high 38 minutes. Indiana Pacers assignee, Alize Johnson recorded 16 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, while Omari Johnson had 15 points. Demetrius Denzel-Dyson scored 12 points in a reserve role and Stephan Hicks had 11 points and three rebounds.

Windy City began the game in rhythm offensively making five of their first 10 shots, but Fort Wayne totaled 66 percent shooting in the opening five minutes and led 14-12 upon the first media timeout. Mulder and Sampson served as the offensive catalysts, combining for 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Trailing by two halfway through the frame, the Bulls rattled off seven consecutive points to take a 22-15 advantage, representing the largest lead by either team in the first quarter. Despite the seven-point advantage, the Mad Ants finished the quarter in style and scored eight of the final 10 points. In total, the Bulls shot 52 percent from the floor and led 26-25 at the conclusion of the opening 12 minutes.

The Bulls opened the second quarter by tallying the first five points, while giving themselves some breathing room and extending their lead to six. Conversely, the Mad Ants went scoreless for the opening three minutes before Ike Nwamu ended the drought with a three-point basket at the nine-minute mark. With just under six minutes remaining in the half, Gates and Mulder connected on back-to-back threes, giving the Bulls their first double-digit lead of the night. However, the Mad Ants responded with a 9-0 spurt of their own and sliced a 12-point Windy City lead to three. The Mad Ants were unable to draw closer and because of 50 percent shooting in the first half, the Bulls led 58-51 at the intermission.

To open the second half, Windy City scored nine of the first 14 points and regained a double-digit advantage. The Bulls lead swelled to 13 and eventually reached 18 in the quarter. Lemon Jr. came to life in the third as he tallied three field goals while leading all scorers with nine points in the frame. For the quarter, Windy City outscored Fort Wayne by eight, doubled their halftime lead and led 85-70 heading into the final 12 minutes.

Windy City maintained their double figure lead throughout the final quarter without the Mad Ants presenting any real threat. In fact, the Bulls upped their lead to 22 on an Alkins jumper, which gave Windy City its largest lead of the evening. The Bulls 58 points in each half and outpaced Fort Wayne by 11 in the last 24 minutes. For the game, Windy City shot 54 percent and as a result, they cruised to a 116-98 victory.

During the four-game stretch, the Bulls have shot 47 percent or higher in each contest. Windy City collects its first win inside Fort Wayne’s coliseum, previously 0-for-5, and have snapped their seven-game head-to-head losing streak. Windy City is now in sole possession of first place in the central division.

The Bulls are back at it tomorrow night as they cap off their sixth back-to-back of the season. Tip-off against Grand Rapids is set for 7:00pm CT at Sears Centre Arena.

Fans can stay up-to-date on team news by following the team on Twitter (@WindyCityBulls) or visiting (WindyCityBulls.com). Full season membership, group, and single tickets for the 2018-19 Windy City Bulls season are on sale now. For all ticket information and full season schedule, visit WindyCityBulls.com.