The Wisconsin Herd snapped a five-game losing streak after taking down the Grand Rapids Gold 109-101 at the Van Andel Arena March 9.
With the win, the Herd moved to eighth in the NBA G League Eastern Conference and sit two games behind the Maine Celtics for the final playoff spot.
Wisconsin shot 47% from the field and 27.6% from 3-point range in the win. The Herd outrebounded the Gold 42-40, forced 15 turnovers and had four blocked shots.
The Herd was led by guard James Akinjo, who scored 23 points and dished out nine assists. Forward Glenn Robinson III finished with 22 points, 18 rebounds and six assists on 8-for-18 shooting. Forwards Aleem Ford, Elijah Hughes and Yor Anei all added 14 points.
Grand Rapids shot 43.5% from the floor and 32.5% from behind the arc in the Gold’s second straight loss.
The Gold were led by forward Zak Irvin, who scored 20 points, grabbed nine boards and had six assists. Guard Armaan Franklin scored 20 points on 4-for-8 shooting from 3-point range. Center Jamorko Pickett added 15 points and nine rebounds while Justin Jackson scored 13 points off the bench.
Ford started the game off with a driving dunk and the Herd scored the first seven points of the first quarter. Franklin responded with a layup for the Gold, and Grand Rapids embarked on a 10-3 run to tie the game at 10. The two teams traded baskets until the Gold’s Walter Ellis hit a 3-pointer to give Grand Rapids a 22-18 lead. Irvin connected on a free throw to give the Gold a six-point lead, but Wisconsin’s Jeremy Tyler responded with a free throw to narrow the Grand Rapids lead to 26-22 at the end of the first period.
Jackson hit a 3-pointer to begin the second quarter to give the Gold a seven-point lead, but Hughes converted on a layup which sparked a 9-0 Herd run to take a 31-29 advantage. After The Gold’s Au’Diese Toney tied the contest, Robinson jump started a 12-2 run with a layup, and Wisconsin grew its lead to 43-33. The Herd went on a 9-2 lead after a 3-pointer from Malachi Smith to give Wisconsin a 20-point advantage and the visitors cruised into the locker room with a 59-41 lead at halftime.
Wisconsin began the third quarter with a 6-0 run to build a 25-point lead after an Akinjo layup. The Herd enjoyed at least a 20-point lead for nearly the entire period and Wisconsin held onto an 88-66 advantage at the break.
Hughes nailed a 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter, putting Wisconsin on top by 25 points. Franklin responded with a 3-pointer and the Gold went on a 15-2 run to pull to within 12 points. With seven minutes to play, a layup from Toney kick started a 9-2 run that cut Wisconsin’s advantage to 97-90. Back-to-back layups from Grand Rapids cut the Herd lead to five points, but that would be as close as the Gold came, and Wisconsin hung on for an eight-point win.
The Herd will hit the road to take on the Salt Lake City Stars at the Delta Center March 12 with tipoff scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
