Forward Chris Livingston scored a game-high 26 points, but the Wisconsin Herd dropped its third straight game after falling to the College Park Skyhawks 107-101 Feb. 8 at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.
Livingston, on assignment from the Milwaukee Bucks, finished the game 9-for-17 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Herd (9-10) dropped to ninth place in the Eastern Conference of the NBA G league. Wisconsin forward Henry Ellenson scored 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds while forward Stanley Umude finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Off the bench, Bucks rookie Tyler Smith recorded a 10-point and 11-rebound double-double.
Wisconsin shot 40% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range in the contest. The Herd outrebounded the Skyhawks 50-48 but turned the ball over 17 times.
College Park (10-6) was led by guard Jarkel Joiner, who scored 23 points, hit six 3-pointers and grabbed three rebounds off the bench. The Skyhawks had seven players reach double digits in the scoring category, including forward Kevon Harris who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, and center Tony Bradley, who collected 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Skyhawks, which sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and own the final playoff spot shot, 43% from the floor and 34% from 3-point range.
Ellenson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the contest, and the Herd went on an 8-0 run midway through the opening quarter to take a 14-4 lead. With under three minutes to go in the period, Nikola Djurisic hit a 3-pointer to pull College Park to within 5 points, but Wisconsin held onto a 29-24 lead at the break.
Livingston opened the second quarter with a driving dunk, and Ellenson hit a 3-pointer two minutes later to give Wisconsin a 9-point lead. Late in the period, Harris and Joiner each connected on 3-pointers to cut College Park’s deficit to 3 points, but the Herd outscored the Skyhawks 6-3 for the remainder of the quarter to lead 56-50 at halftime.
College Park began the third quarter with a layup from Bradley to cut the Herd lead to 4 points, and the Skyhawks embarked on a 14-2 run to take a 6-point lead. Wisconsin responded with a 3-pointer from Smith, which sparked a 16-3 run that gave the Herd a 76-70 advantage midway through the quarter. Livingston collected the final 4 points of the period to give Wisconsin an 80-74 lead going into the final quarter.
College Park’s Emmitt Matthews Jr. scored the first 5 points of the fourth period after a driving dunk and a 3-pointer, and Joiner hit a pullup jumper a few minutes later to give the Skyhawks the lead. Wisconsin’s James Akinjo responded by knocking down a 3-pointer, but a Joiner 3-pointer on the next possession kickstarted an 8-0 College Park run that gave the Skyhawks a 99-92 lead. With under two minutes to go, Umude made three free throws, and Livingston threw down a dunk to pull the Herd within 2 points, but Joiner swished a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left and College Park hit its free throws down the stretch as the Skyhawks hung on for an 8-point win.
The Herd will have two weeks off for the NBA All-Star break before returning home to take on the Capital City Go-Go Feb. 20 at the Oshkosh Arena at 6 p.m.
