Guard Stephen Thompson scored a game-high 40 points, but the Wisconsin Herd fell in their home opener to the Grand Rapids Gold 105-99 at the Oshkosh Arena Nov. 15.

Thompson went 15-for-24 on the night and hit six 3-pointers while collecting five rebounds and five steals but the Herd (0-2) were unable to come back from a five-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter.

The Herd, the G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, shot 45.8% from the field and 40.5% from behind the arc. Wisconsin recorded 10 steals and forced 19 Gold turnovers, but the Herd were outrebounded 49-33.

Wisconsin guard James Akinjo had a double-double, scoring 22 points and dishing out 12 assists while grabbing six rebounds. The only other double-digit scorer for the Herd was Blake Marquardt, who added 14 points off the bench on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point territory.

The Gold (2-1), the G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets shot 46.9% from the floor and 33.3% from 3-point land. Grand Rapids recorded five blocked shots, forced 16 Herd turnovers and outshot Wisconsin from the free throw line 87.5% (14-for-16) to 57.1% (4-for-7).

Guard Jalen Pickett led Grand Rapids with 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Gold forward Spencer Jones scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds on 8-for-11 shooting while center Charles Bediako scored 16 points and recorded six rebounds. Off the bench, Gabe McGlothan scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds.

The two teams traded baskets to begin the game until a 7-0 run from the Gold put the visitors on top 17-7 following a Jaylin Williams 3-pointer. Grand Rapids held onto a 10-point lead for most of the opening quarter until a 3-pointer from Akinjo jump started a 7-0 Herd run that cut the deficit to 21-18. McGlothan hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left to give the Gold a 24-18 advantage at the end of the first period.

The Herd pulled to within one point of Grand Rapids early in the second quarter after a 3-pointer from Jalen Lewis and a floater from Akinjo. Just a few minutes later, the Herd took the lead after a 5-0 spurt capped off by an Ibou Badji driving dunk. With seven minutes remaining in the half, Wisconsin built a 6-point lead following a pair of layups and a 3-pointer from Thompson. The Herd never relinquished the lead for the remainder of the half as Wisconsin led 48-42 after the second quarter.

The Gold opened the second half on a 14-5 run behind seven points from Jones to take a 56-53 lead. Grand Rapids built a 6-point lead after a 3-pointer from Richardson midway through the quarter, but Akinjo scored six straight points with three minutes to go to tie the game at 72. The Gold ended the third quarter on a 7-0 run to lead 79-74 at the break.

Pickett hit a floater to begin the fourth quarter, putting Grand Rapids up by seven points. The Herd cut the deficit to four points following a 3-pointer from Marquardt, and a few minutes later Wisconsin pulled to within two after a Philip Alston putback layup. With just under three minutes remaining in the contest, Jones converted on a driving layup which kickstarted a 7-0 run for the Gold that put Grand Rapids on top 97-88. The Gold converted on its free throws the rest of the way and held on for a six-point victory.