Center Marques Bolden scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for his third straight double-double of the season to help the Wisconsin Herd take down the Westchester Knicks 128-120 at the Oshkosh Arena Feb. 3.
The Herd (9-8), who sit seventh in the Eastern Conference of the NBA G League, had eight of their ten players finish in double figures. Off the bench, forward Alex Antetokounmpo scored 23 points and grabbed three rebounds while guard Malachi Smith scored 17 points and four rebounds. Guard TyTy Washington Jr. finished with 14 points and eight assists and forward Elijah Hughes scored 14 points and dished out 10 assists.
Wisconsin shot 49.5% from the floor and 38.1% from behind the arc in the win. The Herd outrebounded the Knicks (60-39), finished with more assists (36-19) and forced seven turnovers.
Westchester (5-12) finished the contest shooting 42.5% from the floor and 28.2% from 3-point range. The Knicks forced 21 Herd turnovers and had 11 steals and four blocks.
The Knicks were led by guard De’Vion Harmon, who scored 30 points and grabbed five rebounds off the bench. Guard Obadiah Noel scored 28 points and grabbed eight boards while guard Brandon Goodwin finished with 26 points and six assists.
Both teams swapped baskets to begin the first quarter until a pullup jumper from Hughes sparked a 7-0 Herd run that gave Wisconsin a 12-5 lead. The Herd extended their lead to 15 points after an 11-0 run midway through the quarter and Wisconsin maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the period. Antetokounmpo converted on a layup and Marqueese Chriss knocked down a hook shot off the glass in the final second of the quarter and the Herd led 42-23 at the break.
The Knicks opened the second quarter on a 11-0 run, cutting the Herd lead to nine points with eight minutes until halftime. A Wenyen Gabriel layup jump started a 12-0 Wisconsin run and the Herd took a 19-point lead late in the first half. With 15 seconds left, Chriss hit a layup and the Herd went into halftime leading 67-46.
Westchester scored the first seven points of the third quarter to cut the Herd lead to 67-53 and with two minutes to go in the period, the Knicks cut the lead to 10 points after a jumper from Harmon. In the closing minutes of the quarter Goodwin converted on a finger roll layup and kick started a 9-0 to pull the Knicks to within four points. Gabriel hit a free throw with 18 seconds remaining and the Herd held onto an 88-82 lead at the break.
Harmon hit a free throw to begin the fourth quarter, but Hughes responded with a layup and the two teams traded baskets for most of the period. Smith and Bolden hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Herd on top 103-92 and another Smith 3-pointer with five minutes to play gave Wisconsin a double-digit advantage. The Knicks outscored the Herd 15-6 for the remainder of the game, but Wisconsin sealed the game after a pair of free throws with Hughes as the Herd claimed their ninth win of the season.
The Herd will travel to take on the Long Island Nets Feb. 7 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
