FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Morris Almond had 26 points and eight rebounds Friday night as the Maine Red Claws won for the fourth time in five games with a 109-97 victory against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in a D-League game at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
The Red Claws (11-17) went ahead 16-15 on a jump shot by Kenny Hayes with 5:12 left in the first quarter, then closed the quarter with an 11-5 run.
The Mad Ants (10-18) took a 37-35 lead on a 3-pointer by Devan Downey with seven minutes left in the half. Maine got the lead back on its next possession, on a jump shot and free throw by Courtney Pigram.
Fort Wayne got as close as 46-45 and 48-47 later in the quarter, but the Red Claws never relinquished the lead and pulled into halftime with a 54-48 advantage.
Almond had 13 points in the first half, and scored the rest of his points in the third quarter on five field goals and three free throws.
The Red Claws maintained an seven- to 11-point cushion throughout the period.
Hayes then picked up where Almond left off, scoring eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Red Claws had no problems the rest of the way.
Xavier Silas had 18 points, Lawrence Hill had 14 points and Pigram finished with 13 for Maine.
Darnell Lazare scored 20 points to lead seven players scoring in double figures for the Mad Ants.
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