Springfield set a franchise record with its fifth straight win as it prepares for a two-game home set with East-leading Iowa.
Jeff Foote set the tone early for the Armor Sunday in Fort Wayne.By PAUL D. BOWKER
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The fast-rising Springfield Armor slammed home another message Sunday night.
Led by Jeff Foote’s 23 points and 9 rebounds, the Armor won a franchise-record fifth consecutive game, totally ripping apart the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 118-87 in front of a silenced 3,706 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Six Armor players reached double figures for the second consecutive game, including all five starters. It took Foote just 10 minutes to get there. Dennis Horner added 17 points and JamesOn Curry 16, including a game-high four 3-pointers. Point guard Jerry Smith had 15 points and a team-high five assists.
“We’ve just got a bunch of unselfish guys that don’t care who scores the ball,” said Springfield’s L.D. Williams, who scored 14 points and had three assists. “Unselfish guys who like being around each other and winning.”
And it’s the type of winning Springfield hasn’t always seen from the Armor. The streak has boosted the Armor (18-13) into second place in the D-League’s East Conference, just 2½ games behind Iowa. Only the West Conference-leading Los Angeles D-Fenders have a longer active win streak at six.
First-year Armor head coach Bob Mackinnon has seen a camaraderie develop that goes beyond the wins. Optional shooting practices, he said, have drawn perfect attendance. In games, he wants the Armor to have 16 pass or shot deflections per half. Sunday, they totaled an incredible 40, including a pair of blocked shots from both Foote and Curry.
“I think they’re seeing that hard work pays off. This is becoming a very tough and resilient team,” Mackinnon said.
Sunday, the Armor had to withstand a travel schedule that began at 6 a.m., continued with a flight connection through Dallas and ended with an arrival in Fort Wayne three hours before the game.
No worries. The Armor took the Mad Ants to school in a textbook first half. Springfield made 60 percent of its shots, nearly doubled Fort Wayne in rebounds and outscored the Ants 34-20 in the paint, including 22-8 in the opening quarter. The Armor led by as many as 35 points.
Foote, a 7-foot center from Cornell who began the season in the Portland Trail Blazers’ NBA camp, was particularly strong for the Armor early on, scoring their first three baskets. The Mad Ants had no answer for his moves, forcing Mad Ants coach Steve Gansey to eventually send in backup center Sean Sonderleiter to muscle him around a bit. In the opening quarter alone, Foote scored on a dunk, a reverse layup and a hook shot.
“It was more of my teammates setting me up. I have to give them a lot of credit,” Foote said. “They did a great job tonight.”
“I think Jeff is an NBA player,” Mackinnon said. “He’s a guy who can have a 10- to 12-year playing career in the NBA.”
The presence of Foote and Horner (nine rebounds, three assists) caused Fort Wayne defensive problems the entire game. And when the inside was clogged up, Curry, Smith and Preston Knowles combined to hit 10 3-pointers.
“We want to establish the inside,” Williams said. “When we’re getting in the lane and getting shots in the paint and creating for others, that’s when we’re at our best.”
The Armor never trailed and allowed a tie just once, at 2-2.
The Mad Ants (10-21) have lost five straight. Devan Downey, a former star at South Carolina, led Fort Wayne with 20 points and a game-high nine assists.
NOTES: Williams started his 31st consecutive game. He is the only Armor player to start every game ... The Armor’s victory was just their third in 18 games against the Mad Ants. The Armor has won twice over Fort Wayne this season, with no more meetings scheduled ... Fort Wayne played without leading scorer Ron Howard, who is out with a wrist injury ... The Armor return home to face Iowa for a pair of games Thursday and Friday at the MassMutual Center, both at 7 p.m.