Milwaukee Bucks assignment player Marjon Beauchamp scored a game-high 36 points to lead the Wisconsin Herd past the Birmingham Squadron 120-107 Jan. 24 at the Oshkosh Arena.
Beauchamp finished the game 13-for-26 from the floor, 5-for-14 from behind the arc, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists.
The Herd (6-6) shot 50% from the field and 39.5% from behind the arc. Wisconsin outrebounded Birmingham 62-32 and finished with more assists than the Squadron (27-22). The Herd turned the ball over 19 times but forced four steals and had five blocked shots.
Wisconsin’s TyTy Washington Jr. finished with a double-double, scoring 20 points and finishing with 12 assists. Marques Bolden had a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double while Wenyen Gabriel also finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Chris Livingston scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds while Malachi Smith added 10 points off the bench.
Birmingham (6-6) finished the game shooting 41.5% from the floor and 36.4% from 3-point territory. The Squadron had seven turnovers in the contest but finished with six blocked shots and 10 steals on defense.
Izaiah Brockington led the way for Birmingham, scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds. E.J. Liddell finished with 19 points and nine boards while both Jalen Crutcher and Landers Nolley II added 18 points.
Beauchamp opened the scoring in the first quarter with a free throw, but Tevian Jones nailed a 3-pointer for Birmingham and the Squadron took a 3-2 lead. The two teams swapped baskets for most of the first quarter until Birmingham went on a 7-0 run midway through the quarter after a 3-pointer from Crutcher and the Squadron took a four-point lead. The Herd was able to take a 29-25 lead after a string of baskets from Washington Jr. and Bolden, but Nolley scored the last seven points of the period to give Birmingham a 31-29 lead at the break.
The Squadron began the second quarter on a 11-0 run to take a 13-point lead and Birmingham held onto a double-digit lead for most of the period. With five minutes remaining in the quarter, Beauchamp connected on a layup and sparked a 14-5 Herd run that cut the deficit to 53-32. Glenn Robinson III missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Birmingham hung on to a one-point advantage going into halftime.
The Squadron grew their lead to four points after halftime following a Liddell 3-pointer, but Beauchamp connected from 3-point land to cut Birmingham’s advantage to 58-57. Livingston gave the Herd a one-point lead after a layup, and with five minutes to play in the third quarter Wisconsin took a 73-66 lead after a Smith hook shot. The Squadron embarked on a 10-2 run to claim a three-point lead late in the period and held onto an 88-87 advantage going into the break.
Brockington nailed a 3-pointer to give Birmingham a four-point lead to begin the fourth quarter, but back-to-back layups from Livingston tied the game at 93. Alex Antetokounmpo knocked down a 3-point free throw and threw down a dunk to give Wisconsin a five-point lead, but the Squadron would pull to 100-98 after a layup from Liddell. With five minutes remaining, Bolden connected on a turnaround jumper and kickstarted a 12-5 run that built a nine-point Herd advantage. Beauchamp converted on a free throw to give Wisconsin a double-digit lead and the Herd cruised to their fifth win of the season.
The Herd, who sit eighth in the Eastern Conference of the NBA G League, will travel to Wilmington, Delaware, to take on the Delaware Blue Coats (5-4) at the Chase Fieldhouse on Jan. 26 with tip off scheduled for 6 p.m.
