Henderson, NV – The G League Ignite took on the Mexico City Capitanes Wednesday night at Dollar Loan Center, their sixth straight game at home. The Ignite rested projected lottery pick Matas Buzelis and were without Efe Abogidi, Eric Mika and Isaiah Todd due to injury/illness. The Capitanes were without one of their top scorers in Alexey Borges (12.0 PPG) due to a foot injury. Mexico City would prevail in what was a back-and-forth affair for most of the game, 106-100.
The Ignite got off to a solid start behind Izan Almansa scoring eight of the first Ignite’s points and holding a 31-24 lead after the first quarter. The Capitanes would never have a lead bigger than three points but would hold a 51-49 lead at halftime. Former Oregon State guard Ethan Thompson had 17 points in the first half (7-11 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT) and NBA veteran Kenneth Faried’s 11 rebounds would help the Capitanes build a double-digit point advantage in the paint, 36-24.
The second half went back and forth until the Capitanes built a 65-54 lead in the third quarter to pull away. They would largely keep a double-digit lead late into the fourth quarter until the Ignite got it to single digits. Thompson would cool down only scoring four points in the second half, but former Hofstra guard Justin Wright-Foreman would heat up and finish with 19 points on 9-of-18 shooting along with a team-high five assists.
Kenneth Faried was the story of the game, as the former NBA veteran finished two points shy of a 20-20 game. Faried had nearly half of New Mexico’s 46 rebounds with 21 (including seven offensive) and was a big reason why his team had a massive advantage in points in the paint – 80-48. He was constantly beating Ignite players to positions to rebound and helped Mexico City gain extra possessions or push the ball in transition. The Capitanes needed every one of them, as they shot a ghastly 2-of-18 from beyond the arc. Between their missing players and there not being enough time remaining for the Ignite mount a comeback, Mexico City would hold on to win.
Almansa in particular was impressive and stood out. He set solid screens, freeing himself to roll to the basket for an easy layup or a lob. Almansa also showcased his post game, backing down multiple defenders Mexico City threw at him and going up-and-under, around or through his defender. Almansa would finish with 22 points on a very efficient 8-of-10 shooting (3-3 FT) and six rebounds, but was often beat trying to go for a rebound, a good chunk of which went to Faried. 
Almansa had a solid performance, but Ron Holland was the Ignite’s best player. He had a team-high 24 points (8-18 FG, 1-2 3PT, 6-8 FT) to go along with six rebounds, two assists, four steals and two blocks. While he stuffed the stat sheet, Holland easily could have had more in the defensive stat categories, as he was constantly bothering whoever was in front of him, guarding just about every player and position on the floor. Even if he turned the ball over, he did not give up on the play, hustling back to try to force a turnover or block the shot.
These two teams will face off against each other on Friday again at Dollar Loan Center at 7 p.m. local time.
This article was written by Mason McFee, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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