Wisconsin Herd: Quick reactions from 101-99 win over Fort Wayne Mad Ants
The Wisconsin Herd put an end to their five-game losing streak by mounting a successful second half comeback over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants Friday night at Menominee Nation Arena.
Having come up short, sometimes on the final possession, over the last few games, the Wisconsin Herd finally clinched a second half comeback push Friday night with a 101-99 win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Entering the contest shorthanded, without both two-way players as well as rookie Brandon McCoy, who was sidelined due to illness, an injury to starting guard Nick Johnson took the wind out of the Herd’s sails following their solid start. With that said, the Herd stood strong and kept pace with the Mad Ants, trailing them 23-19 through one.
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While they showed signs of slippage at the start of the second quarter, big man Shevon Thompson was practically a walking bucket for the Herd to keep them within distance of Fort Wayne throughout the period.
A late run from the Mad Ants gave them a 49-38 advantage into the halftime break.
Thompson kept lighting a much needed spark for the Herd into the second half as Fort Wayne continued to control the tilt, though not enough to put away the Herd in any sense.
Before long, Wisconsin received a whole host of contributions from key starters like Xavier Munford, as well as reserves, to make it a one-point game at 76-75 at the end of three.
After the Herd immediately broke through to retake the lead at the start of the fourth quarter, both teams traded buckets back and forth throughout the majority of the frame. But Munford carrying the torch, even with some shaky late game execution, helped land the proverbial plane for the Herd as the Mad Ants fumbled their frantic late game comeback in their own right.
Player of the Game
With an honorable mention to Herd franchise scoring leader, Xavier Munford, Jamaican big man Shevon Thompson was a flat out machine in Wisconsin’s comeback victory over the Mad Ants Friday night.
Playing just over 37 minutes of action, Thompson finished with a career-high 32 points on 14-of-18 shooting from the field (4-for-6 from the foul line), 18 rebounds, five turnovers, two blocks, one assist, as well as a steal, and was a -1 on the night.
Without question, the George Mason alum stood as a massive lifeline for the Herd all throughout the night, but especially so in the first half when they were lacking some serious punch as well as a player to run the offense through.
That was certainly helped by the fact the Mad Ants had no one available to them who could answer Thompson’s bruising, methodical game, whether driving to the hoop or operating on the block. The second half saw less one-on-one opportunities, but Thompson did plenty of damage, as he often does, keeping possessions alive on the offensive glass and putting home deft second chance finishes (Thompson finished with seven offensive boards, by the way).
Switching sides, Thompson’s defending and patrolling of the defensive boards was equally impactful, the latter being very important as Fort Wayne gobbled up 18 offensive boards over the course of the night.
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The Herd will continue their three-game homestand Saturday night by hosting the Westchester Knicks for a 7pm CT tilt at Menominee Nation Arena. You can catch the game on Facebook Live.