Guard DJ Steward tied a career-high with 34 points to help the Maine Celtics edge out the Wisconsin Herd 105-103 at the Oshkosh Arena March 2.
Off the bench, Steward went 12-for-22 from the floor, added four 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds to push the Celtics (14-11) into sixth place in the Eastern Conference of the NBA G League.
With the loss, the Herd (12-13) dropped their fifth-straight game and fell to ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Herd finished the game shooting 45.3% from the field and 38.9% from 3-point territory. Wisconsin forced 18 turnovers, blocked eight shots and had 13 steals.
Wisconsin was led by center Wenyen Gabriel, who scored 19 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out four assists. Guard TyTy Washington Jr. and Milwaukee Bucks forward Marjon Beauchamp both scored 16 points and had seven assists. Milwaukee Bucks forward Chris Livingston added 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the floor.
The Celtics shot 41.1% from the field and 31.6% from behind the arc. Maine outrebounded the Herd 53-41 and forced 18 Wisconsin turnovers.
Aside from Steward, Maine was led by guard JD Davison who scored 27 points, grabbed five rebounds and had five assists. Forward Drew Peterson, the only other Celtic finish in double digits, added 16 points, seven boards and six assists.
The Herd scored the first two baskets of the first quarter, but the Celtics responded with a pair of layups to tie the game at 4-4. The two teams traded baskets for most of the period until Gabriel knocked down a 3-pointer and Beauchamp hit a free throw to give the Herd a 23-19 lead. A pair of 3-pointers from Maine gave the Celtics a one-point advantage with 30 seconds to go, but Wisconsin’s Ryan Rollins connected on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Herd a 29-27 lead at the break.
Wisconsin’s James Akinjo began the second quarter with a 3-pointer, but a layup from Steward and a 3-pointer from Peterson tied the game at 32. A turnaround hook shot from Maine’s James Banks III sparked a 6-0 Celtic run, and Maine took an eight-point lead with five minutes left. After a hook shot from Steward, Maine embarked on a 10-2 run and held onto a 65-52 advantage at halftime.
Gabriel converted on back-to-back layups to begin the third quarter and a 14-2 Herd run with nine minutes left gave Wisconsin a 70-69 lead. The Celtics responded with a 3-pointer from Davison and Maine went on a 6-0 run to claim a 75-70 lead. With two minutes left, Maine’s Tony Snell knocked down a jumper and the Celtics scored the final four baskets of the period to claim a 87-74 advantage.
Both teams traded baskets to begin the final quarter and a pullup jumper from Washington Jr. midway through the period kickstarted a 7-0 Herd run that cut the Wisconsin deficit to seven points. Maine held onto at least a six-point lead for the majority of the quarter until Washington Jr. hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the contest to pull the Herd to within four points. Steward responded with a layup, but Beauchamp connected on two free throws and Washington Jr. added another foul shot to narrow the Maine lead to three points. The Celtics hit their free throws down the stretch and Maine held on for a two-point win.
The Herd will hit the road to take on the Grand Rapids Gold March 9 at the Van Andel Arena with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
