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G League Wisconsin Herd

Balanced Scoring Attack Leads Herd Past Santa Cruz

January 25, 2020 - NBA G League (G League)
Wisconsin Herd News Release


SANTA CRUZ, CA - The Wisconsin Herd (22-5), the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, collected its franchise-best 22nd win of the season with a 116-106 victory over the Santa Cruz Warriors (15-12) on Friday night inside Kaiser Permanente Arena.

Jaylen Adams led the charge as he scored a team-high 17 points and added six assists and four steals, which tied his G League career-high. Shannon Bogues and Leon Gilmore III combined to shoot 12-for-21 and tallied 15 points apiece, while Trevor Lacey set season highs in points (14) field goals (five) and three-pointers (four). Luke Maye recorded 12 points and eight rebounds and Jemerrio Jones posted a stat line of 11 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks. A.J. Hess collected his fifth double figure scoring effort of the season and pitched in with 10 points and two steals in a reserve role.

Santa Cruz was led by Jacob Evans and Jeremy Pargo as both players scored 19 points each. Andrew Harrison registered 17 points and four steals, while Alen Smailagic notched 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Juan Toscano-Anderson added 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals of his own.

Smailagic tallied the first points of the game on a driving layup, but Wisconsin responded by scoring five straight points on consecutive baskets by Jones and Lacey. The two teams seesawed back-and-forth during the opening three and a half minutes, but the Herd managed to create some separation on the heels of an 18-4 run. The run of success allowed Wisconsin to turn a marginal one-point deficit into a sizeable 13-point lead. Lacey served as the catalyst and totaled a team-high eight first quarter points. With under 45 seconds remaining in the period, Lacey collected his third field goal of the quarter and used a step back jumper to give the Herd its largest lead of the night at 14. Offense was the least of Wisconsin's worries as the team scored a season-high 41 first quarter points. Collectively, the Herd shot 65% from the floor, made five of its nine three-point attempts and led by 13 at the end of the first stanza.

With the 9:50 left to play in the half, Maye drained his first three of the evening, and the Herd regained a 14-point advantage. Despite Wisconsin's early double-digit lead, the Warriors pieced together an extended run and eventually erased its deficit. Santa Cruz made it a five-point game on a two-point free throw by Pargo, but the Herd answered by scoring 11 of the next 15 points to reup its lead to 12. However, the Warriors comeback attempt came full circle as the team jumped back in front in the final 30 seconds of the half. Following Wisconsin's 12-point lead, Santa Cruz concluded the period on a 17-4 run. Pargo's 27-foot bank shot three capped the scoring for the quarter and gave the Warriors its first lead since the score read 9-8 in the early portions of the first frame. In total, Santa Cruz shot 50% from the field, outscored the Herd by 14 and led 65-64 at the intermission.

The first half of the third quarter was status quo as the two teams combined for three ties and five lead changes. As the clock ticked under the five-minute mark, Bogues broke and 80-80 tie on a two-point free throw. The free throw was the beginning of a 10-1 run that resulted in a nine-point Wisconsin lead. As was the case before halftime, the Warriors closed the gap and the quarter by scoring seven of the final nine points in the period. Both teams combined for just 51 points, but the Herd won the quarter 28-23 and owned a four-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

In similar fashion to the second quarter, Maye opened the final stanza scoring by collecting his 12th point of the night on his second made three-pointer. The long ball increased Wisconsin's lead to seven, but on the ensuing possessions Santa Cruz poured in consecutive threes which trimmed the Herd's lead to one. The six quick points by the Warriors forced a prompt Wisconsin timeout, but Santa Cruz was never able to retake the lead following the stoppage. The Herd eventually recaptured a double-digit lead and with just over 90 seconds remaining in the game, Adams drained a pair of free throws and extended the Wisconsin lead to 11. Wisconsin led by as many as 13 points in the period, and as a result, the Herd handed the Warriors its seventh home loss of the season, 116-106.

With the win, Wisconsin improves to 13-1 away from home this season, and the 13 road victories are the most in the G League. In addition, the Herd grabs its first win in three tries against Santa Cruz. Both Maine and Wisconsin collected wins on Friday night, which means the Herd maintains its 2.5-game lead over the Red Claws for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Wisconsin will wrap its brief two-game west coast road trip with a stop in Stockton, CA. The Herd will shoot for its 14th road victory as the team takes on the Stockton Kings in a Sunday afternoon matinee on Jan. 26. Tip-off inside Stockton Arena is set for 4 PM CT on Sunday, and the game can be found on NBAGLeague.com.

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