Milwaukee Bucks assignment player Marjon Beauchamp scored 22 points to lead the Wisconsin Herd past the College Park Skyhawks 106-103 at the Oshkosh Arena Jan. 18.
Beauchamp, who shot 5-for-13 from the field, finished the game with eight rebounds and six assists to help Wisconsin (5-4) snap a four-game losing streak.
The Herd, who sit fifth in the Eastern Conference of the G League, shot 45.5% from the field and 39.5% from behind the arc. Wisconsin forced 15 College Park turnovers and finished the contest with 13 steals and 11 blocked shots.
Wisconsin had six players finish in double figures, with both TyTy Washington Jr. and Wenyen Gabriel scoring 17 points. Milwaukee Bucks assignment player Chris Livingston finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds while fellow Bucks teammate AJ Green scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from behind the arc.
The Skyhawks (6-4) shot just 36% from the field and 22.2% from 3-point territory and finished with advantages in offensive rebounding (12-8), steals (15-13) and forced 18 Herd turnovers.
College Park was led by Chris Silva who scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. Robert Baker finished the game with 22 points and 12 rebounds on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor while former Herd player Brandon Randolph added 20 points off the bench.
Miles Norris opened the scoring with a 3-pointer to give the Skyhawks an early 3-0 lead, but Beauchamp quickly knocked down a 3-pointer on the other end to tie the game. With 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter, College Park went on a 9-2 run after a Kobe Bufkin 3-pointer to open up a seven-point lead. Wisconsin quickly responded with a 12-3 run and took a 19-17 lead midway through the period. The Herd, who shot 55% from the floor in the quarter, went on a 9-4 run late in the opening quarter and led 37-31 going into the break.
A Randolph dunk cut the Herd lead to four points early in the second quarter, but an Alex Antetokounmpo layup and a Malachi Smith 3-pointer quickly grew Wisconsin’s lead to 45-37. The Skyhawks embarked on a 18-5 run midway through the quarter behind a pair of 3-pointers from Trey McGowens and David Singleton to take a 55-50 lead. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the period and the Skyhawks held onto a narrow 67-65 lead at halftime.
Wisconsin tied the game at 67 with the first basket of the third quarter following a Gabriel putback dunk. A Green 3-pointer kickstarted a 14-4 run with six minutes to go in the quarter and the Herd took an 81-71 lead. Wisconsin was outscored 12-6 in the final few minutes, but the Herd led 87-83 at the break.
Baker connected on a free throw to cut the Herd advantage to five points to begin the fourth quarter, and the Skyhawks proceeded to go on an 8-4 run to take a 91-90 lead. The Herd tied the contest at 95 with five minutes remaining, but College Park went on a 6-0 run to take a six-point lead after a Silva fadeaway jumper. Wisconsin went on a 7-0 run behind a layup and 3-pointer from Beauchamp to give the Herd a 102-101 advantage. The Herd only allowed two points in the last three minutes of play and Gabriel threw down a nasty dunk to seal a 106-103 victory for Wisconsin’s fifth win of the season.
The Herd will return to action against the Indiana Mad Ants (4-4) at the Oshkosh Arena Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.
