HERD DROPS TO CRUISE

The Wisconsin Herd, NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, lost to the Motor City Cruise 104-100.

Milwaukee Bucks Two-Way player TyTy Washington Jr. led the Herd with 25 points while Malachi Smith and Marquese Smith followed with 13 each.

The Motor City Cruise top scorers were Buddy Boeheim with 31 points and Zavier Simpson with a double-double of 22 points and 12 assists.

Motor City connected on the first bucket of the game, but the Herd quickly answered with two straight baskets to take the lead. The Cruise responded with a 7-0 run to gain control. Wisconsin climbed back to tie the game before Motor City pushed ahead to a four-point advantage. Malachi Smith and Yor Anei converted a free throw each to put the Herd ahead 20-18 at the end of the first quarter.

The Herd opened the second quarter with a 6-2 run powered by two layups by Elijah Hughes. The teams traded baskets, but the Herd slowly pulled away to a double-digit lead (36-26) midway through the quarter. Wisconsin held a steady 10+ point lead until the Cruise hit an 8-3 run to come within five points. Ryan Rollins and Glenn Robinson III combined for four points to close out the half with the Herd up 49-41. TyTy Washington Jr. guided the Herd with 10 points.

Wisconsin outscored the Cruise 7-4 to grab a double-digit lead at the beginning of the third quarter. Motor City returned with seven unanswered points to make it a four-point game. TyTy Washington Jr. and Aleem Ford teamed up to put away 11 points over two minutes. Motor City cut the game to four points, but Wisconsin stopped their run with seven uncontested points to go ahead by 11. The Herd continued to control the game by increasing the lead to 15 with two minutes remaining. The Cruise scored two baskets in the last minute, but the quarter ended in favor of the Herd 82-71.

The Cruise knocked down the first shot of the fourth quarter, but James Akinjo answered with a three-point play to put the Herd up by 12. Motor City answered with six straight points. The Cruise kept the momentum going with an 8-4 run to make it a two-point game halfway through the quarter. Marquese Chriss put a pause in the run with a dunk, but the Cruise pulled away with the lead after three sequential shots from beyond the arc. Wisconsin responded with back-to-back buckets to come within three but the Cruise converted on a three-point play on the other end with less than a minute left. TyTy Washington Jr. knocked down two free throws, followed by the Cruise with two free throws of their own to make it 103-97. After a reset timeout, Marquese Chriss completed a three-point play to bring the Herd within three. With nine seconds remaining, the Cruise knocked down one more free throw to secure the win. Motor City beat Wisconsin 104-100.

The Herd will hit the road to take on the Capital City Go-Go on Wednesday, March 20^th with tip-off set for 6:00 p.m. CT.

--Wisconsin Herd--