HERD TAKES DOWN NETS

 The Wisconsin Herd, NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, beat the Long Island Nets 113-101.

Henry Ellenson steered the Herd with his second double-double in a row with 26 points and 11 rebounds while Stephen Thompson Jr. and Stanley Umude followed with 21 points apiece.

The top scorer for the Long Island Nets was Drew Timme with a double-double of 30 points and 12 rebounds while Tosan Evbuomwan added a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Wisconsin took the first punch of the game to grab an early lead in the first quarter. The Nets came firing back to tie the game within the first two minutes. The Herd continued the momentum pushing ahead 13-9. The Nets tried to counter with two baskets in a row to take the driver’s seat. The teams traded the lead three times before Wisconsin pulled away with a 12-4 run. Long Island responded by outscoring the Herd by five over the next two minutes. Wisconsin held on to end the quarter in their favor 36-32.

The Nets exploded with a 10-4 run in the first three minutes of the second quarter to reclaim control of the contest. The teams matched each other shot-for-shot resulting in four lead changes over the next three minutes. Long Island scored on their next three possessions to take a five-point advantage midway through the quarter. Henry Ellenson and Stanley Umude combine for eight straight points to propel the Herd to the front. Stanley Umude stayed on fire and with the help of Justise Winslow scored the Herd’s last 10 points of the half to put Wisconsin on top 70-65.

Wisconsin returned from the locker room in the third quarter with the same first-half momentum orchestrating a 12-4 streak to go ahead by double-digits. The Nets responded by cutting down the deficit to eight points midway through the quarter. Stephen Thompson Jr. knocked down the last three buckets to close out the quarter with the Herd up 91-80.

Henry Ellenson and Stephen Thompson Jr. teamed up for the first 11 Herd points including three triples from beyond the arc. Long Island responded with back-to-back buckets to come within double figures. The Nets attempted to shrink the margin, but the Herd had an answer for every shot. With five minutes remaining, the Nets broke the rhythm to collect two straight and make it an eight-point game. Wisconsin splashed two three-pointers to close out the game and earn a 113-101 victory.

The Wisconsin Herd will hit the road to take on the Grand Rapids Gold on Saturday, March 22 with tip-off set for 11:00 a.m. CST. Fans can watch the game on TV32.

--Wisconsin Herd--