Harlem Globetrotter Ant Atkinson Brings His Own March Madness® with 93-Point Scoring Blitzkrieg

Team-record scoring barrage includes 22 4-point shots

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harlem Globetrotters star guard Anthony “Ant” Atkinson etched his name into the annals of Globetrotter lore on Friday, March 29, 2013, with an electrifying 93-point performance in a 193-161 Globetrotters win over the Global Select at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff in Cardiff, Wales – establishing a team record for most points ever scored by a Globetrotter in a game.

“I’ve been with the organization for 36 years and been all over the world, and I’ve never seen anything like what Ant did Friday night”

The historic effort included Atkinson nailing 22-of-30 attempts on 4-point shots, the ground-breaking innovation the Globetrotters introduced in 2010. The shot is 35 feet from the basket, nearly 12 feet beyond the NBA’s three-point arc. The NBA single-game record for made three-pointers is 12 (twice), while the mark for most three-pointers made by a single player in an NCAA Division I men’s basketball game is 15.

Even more impressive is the fact that all of Atkinson’s 4-pointers were sunk during the first and fourth quarters, including a team-record 12 in the fourth. On the Globetrotters’ 2013 “You Write the Rules” World Tour, fans vote on various rules to be implemented in each quarter, and the 4-point shot was “active” during only the first and fourth quarters. During his amazing fourth-quarter tear, Atkinson also threw in a two-pointer for good measure, setting another team record with 50 points in a quarter.

“I guess when it comes to March, I don’t go, ‘out like a lamb,’ as the saying goes,” chuckled Atkinson, following his mind-boggling feat. “March seems to bring out the best in me.”

Atkinson is no stranger to dramatic March performances. On March 24, 2007, he led one of the greatest comebacks in college basketball history, scoring 10 points in the last 39 seconds of Barton College’s 77-75 win in the NCAA Division II National Championship game, a performance that became a YouTube sensation and was a runner-up in the “Best Finish” category at the 2007 ESPY Awards. The All-American became the first-ever player selected in the Globetrotters’ inaugural player draft later that year.

“I’ve been with the organization for 36 years and been all over the world, and I’ve never seen anything like what Ant did Friday night,” said former Globetrotters superstar and current Coach/Director of Player Personnel “Sweet Lou” Dunbar. “It must be the coaching.”

The 193 points also set a mark for the most points the Globetrotters have ever scored in a game as a team.

Sponsored by Howard Johnson Hotels, Wonderful Pistachios, Greyhound Lines, Spalding, and Russell Athletic, the Original Harlem Globetrotters are celebrating their 87^th consecutive year, continuing a world famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry, and one-of-a-kind family entertainment that continues to thrill fans of all ages. Proud inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have entertained hundreds of millions of fans over more than eight thrilling decades. For the latest news and information about the Harlem Globetrotters, and to purchase tickets and team merchandise, visit the Globetrotters’ official Web site: www.harlemglobetrotters.com.