Whittington’s steal leads to Xavier Thames’ buzzer-beater, Mad Ants win

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants got their season stared in a spectacular fashion.

Tied at 80 with under seven seconds to play, Shayne Whittington, on assignment from the Pacers, stole the ball away which allowed the Mad Ants to quickly call timeout.

With 2.8 seconds left and the ball being inbounded from 28-feet out, it was sent in to Xavier Thames. Jab left, one dribble right, fadeaway.

Count it.

The Mad Ants got win No. 1 on the season — over the Raptors 905, 83-80. It was also the first win for new Mad Ants GM Brian Levy and head coach Steve Gansey.

LISTEN: Pacers Podcast with Mad Ants GM Brian Levy

Rakeem Christmas scored a game-high 22 points on 11-of-19 shooting. C.J. Fair nearly posted a double-double with 19 points (7-of-12) and nine rebounds.

Whittington, meanwhile, had an interesting stat line: eight points, ten rebounds, five steals, and three blocks;. He missed 11-of-14 shots, including all nine 3-point attempts. Nine. That’s a lot of three tries for the big man, who worked on his deep shot in the offseason.

His fifth and final steal was what gave the Mad Ants the opportunity to win the ball game. Thames’ 3-pointer g the attention but it’s not made possible without Whittington’s steal. [Click here to see it.]

One of the many reasons the Pacers purchased the Mad Ants this fall: to ensure their players get plenty of playing time. That was the case Saturday night. 32 for Christmas and 36 for Whittington.

The Mad Ants and Raptors 905 will play again Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. Remember, all D-League games can be seen – live and replay – on YouTube. Each of the Mad Ants’ first three games are at home.

Boomer, the Pacemates, and the Power Pack were in Fort Wayne for the Mad Ants’ first game since the Pacers bought the franchise. The first 3,000 fans received a rally towel (see below).

Doors set to open in just 10 minutes, who wants a rally towel?! #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/HfvZTG8WlX

— Mad Ants Basketball (@TheMadAnts) November 14, 2015