Fort Wayne Mad Ants guard Walker Russell Jr. found out he was a D-League East All-Star on Thursday afternoon, a fitting reward for a man averaging a team-high 16.6 points and 7.4 assists, fourth best in the league.

Further corroboration, if needed, was presented a few hours later.

That happened across the last 3 1/2 minutes on a night that seemed destined again to go against the slumping Ants, until Russell and backcourt mate Chris Kramer arrived on the scene. Down 93-88 with 3:27 to play, Russell and Kramer combined to score 14 of their teams’ last 20 points, and the Ants rode that to a come-from-behind 103-100 victory over Austin in front of 2,370 fans at Memorial Coliseum.

Kramer finished with 26 points, and Russell had 21 points and 11 assists for the Ants (14-16), who trailed 100-95 with 1:58 to play before scoring the last eight points of the game.

“Even when we win, it’s not easy,” Ants coach Joey Meyer said. “But I’ll take it. I liked our heart. And I thought Walker Russell and Chris Kramer were warriors, complete warriors. They just were not going to let us lose that game.”

Everything else, certainly, pointed that way, as Austin hit the Ants with 12 three-pointers, dominated the glass 46-33 and got five triples, 25 points and 10 boards from forward Leo Lyons and 18 points from forward Lance Thomas, 12 of them in the second half.

The Toros (12-16) scored 10 of the last 14 points of the first half to lead 55-51 at halftime and only a 14-2 run by the Ants across the last 5:50 of the third quarter kept the Toros from making a break for it. That left Fort Wayne up 76-72 with a quarter to play.

But when Lyons immediately lobbed in another three to open the fourth quarter, the battle was joined – and then seemingly won – by Austin when the visitors scored six straight points to turn an 86-85 deficit into a 91-86 lead with 3:55 left.

Enter Kramer and Russell. Enter, too, forward Marvin Phillips Jr., who grabbed a crucial offensive rebound off a missed Darnell Lazare free throw with 12.6 seconds showing and the Ants leading 101-100.

“He just has a knack for that, doesn’t he?” Meyer said.

All Phillips knew was the man he was guarding was bigger and whatever body he had to put on him, he had to put on him.

“The only thing on my mind is I’ve got to box him out, and if it comes off the rim, I’ve got to get it,” Phillips said.

He did.

And then he got it out to Russell, who was fouled with 9.1 seconds left and sealed it with two free throws.

“I’m glad he made the All-Star team. He deserved it,” Meyer said of Russell. “We kept telling them (down the stretch) it’s only two possessions, don’t panic. We kept saying, first, rebound; … and then we’re putting the ball in Russell’s hands.”

bensmith@jg.net