The Herd's Winning Streak Ends at 12 Games as Wisconsin Falls to Fort Wayne
December 16, 2019 - NBA G League (G League)
Wisconsin Herd News Release
FORT WAYNE, IN - The Wisconsin Herd (12-2), the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, had its franchise-long 12-game winning streak snapped with a 125-124 loss to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (6-10) on Monday night inside Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Wisconsin was without the services of Two-Way player Frank Mason and guard Jaylen Adams who missed Monday's game due to injury. In the absence of the two guards, Rayjon Tucker collected his second consecutive 30-point game and poured in a season-high 36 points on 13-of-24 shooting. In addition to setting season highs in points and field goals, Tucker dished out a season-high seven assists as well. Cameron Reynolds posted 21 points and four rebounds, and in place of Adams, Hogg tied his career-high with four blocks and added 17 points and six rebounds. Trevor Lacey added 10 points of 4-of-6 shooting off the bench, while A.J. Hess recorded a season-high nine points. Jemerrio Jones, the league's leading rebounder, pitched in with nine points and 13 rebounds.
Despite being without Two-Way player Naz Mitrou-Long, Fort Wayne had the services of three Indiana Pacers who were on assignment. Four Mad Ants registered double-doubles led by JaKarr Sampson who tallied a team-high 24 points to go with 11 rebounds and three blocks. Walt Lemon Jr. posted a stat line of 22 points, 10 assists and three steals, while Alize Johnson had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Edmond Sumner added 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and Ben Moore totaled 16 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in a reserve role. Brian Bowen II, Fort Wayne's second Two-Way player notched 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks, and C.J. Wilcox manufactured 11 points of his own.
After the Mad Ants scored five of the game's first seven points, Wisconsin went on an extended 14-2 run and raced out front, 16-7. The spurt not only gave the Herd a nine-point lead, but it forced a prompt timeout by Fort Wayne with 6:48 remaining in the first quarter. Reynolds scored seven of the team's first 13 points, and as a unit, Wisconsin shot 50% from the floor in the opening five minutes. Hess scored all nine of his points in the first quarter, and on his third field goal and first three-pointer of the period, Hess gave the Herd a 10-point lead, which was its largest of the night. The Herd's double-digit advantage didn't last long as the Mad Ants responded with a long ball of its own to pull within single digits. With the quarter winding down, Reynolds poured in a three to extend the Wisconsin lead to six, but with two seconds remaining, Lemon Jr. scored on a driving layup to make it a 32-28 game at the end of the opening 12 minutes.
The outset of the second quarter featured four ties and four lead changes, but with 7:25 left in the half, Fort Wayne went on a 7-0 run to create separation. In total, the Mad Ants used a 19-point first half swing and turned a 10-point deficit into a nine-point lead. Facing its largest deficit in the opening 24 minutes, the Herd scored 13 of the next 19 points to tie the game at 60 with just over 30 seconds left in the half. The two teams exchanged the next two baskets, and with one second on the clock, Wilcox capped the half by sinking a free throw worth two points. For the quarter, Fort Wayne outpaced Wisconsin 37-30 and led by three at the intermission.
After trailing for nearly 11 game minutes, Wisconsin managed to regain the lead 74-73 on Reynolds' third three-pointer of the night. The Herd's lead was short-lived as Sumner answered in kind on the ensuing possession and knocked in a three-point jump shot of his own. Later in the quarter, the Mad Ants retook a double-digit lead and led by as many as 12 points in the frame. On the heels of the 12-point deficit, Wisconsin closed the stanza by scoring nine of the final 13 points. Despite the strong close to the period, Fort Wayne shot 57% from the field, outgained the Herd for the second consecutive quarter and led 100-93 heading into the final 12 minutes.
The Mad Ants scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter and took a commanding 109-93 lead with 9:31 remaining in the contest. Wisconsin took a quick timeout, and following the stoppage on the floor, Fort Wayne extended its lead to 17, which was the largest of the night by either team. Trailing by a sizeable margin and with under six minutes to play, the Herd tied the game and took the lead on the heels of a 24-6 run. Tucker sank a pair of free throws, and with 25.5 seconds left in the game, Wisconsin went ahead 124-123. Fort Wayne, however, went ahead for good after Johnson followed Lemon Jr.'s miss with the game-winning put back layup with 5.9 seconds left. The Herd had a shot to win the game at the buzzer, but the Mad Ants came up with a key turnover and escaped with a 125-124 victory.
The one-point loss is Wisconsin's first since opening night (Nov. 8) which spans 38 calendar days. The Herd is now 2-7 all-time against the Mad Ants, including 1-4 in road contests.
Wisconsin will return home to face the Austin Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back. This season, the Herd are 1-0 against Western Conference foes after beating Rio Grande Valley on Dec. 7. Tip-off inside Menominee Nation Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. CT, and the game can be found and heard on MYNEW32 and The Score.
NBA G League Stories from December 16, 2019
- The Herd's Winning Streak Ends at 12 Games as Wisconsin Falls to Fort Wayne - Wisconsin Herd
- Mad Ants Hold on in Central Division Thriller against Wisconsin - Indiana Mad Ants
- Jalen Lecque Recalled by Phoenix Suns - Northern Arizona Suns
- Gary Payton II Named NBA G League Player of the Week - South Bay Lakers
- Oklahoma City Blue Acquires Devon Hall - Oklahoma City Blue
- Magic Acquire Cameron Lard and Andrew Rowsey - Osceola Magic
- Stars to Compete in First-Ever MGM Resorts NBA G League Winter Showcase Tournament - Salt Lake City Stars
- Kings Assign Caleb Swanigan to Stockton Kings - Stockton Kings
- Knicks Acquire Cunningham; Waive Gilder-Tilbury - Westchester Knicks
- Indiana Pacers Assign Trio to Fort Wayne - Indiana Mad Ants
- Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - OSC Original by Dan Krieger
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
