The Motor City Cruise dropped their third loss of the season after a 131-122 loss to the Wisconsin Herd.
Why It Matters For the Motor City Cruise
After a valiant victory on Thursday against the Wisconsin Herd, the Motor City Cruise lost the back-to-back matchup on Friday against the Herd with a final score of 131-122. The Cruise had their way in the first matchup in a 26-point beatdown. Friday night was a different story as the Herd convincingly triumphed over the Cruise.
Motor City made a last-second decision to bench their leading scorer Jared Rhoden. Head coach Jamelle McMillan confirmed that Rhoden’s back tightened up during the shootaround on Thursday. Rhoden tried to loosen up during pregame warmups on Friday but was ruled out right before tipoff.
The Cruise struggled on both ends of the floor in Rhoden’s absence. Wisconsin was dominant offensively shooting 57.3% from the field. The Herd had their way inside at the rim as they scored 70 points in the paint.
The Herd backcourt gave the Cruise problems the majority of the game. Lindell Wigginton led Wisconsin in scoring with 26 points plus eight assists. TyTy Washington Jr. was impactful as well scoring 24 points. Marques Bolden was also a quality anchor for the Herd scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Zavier Simpson led all scorers dropping 30 points for the Cruise. Jontay Porter spent time playing with the Herd in 2022 and came out active with 23 points and 12 rebounds against his former G-League team. Treveon Graham started in place for Rhoden and scored 21 points in 29 minutes.
Motor City Cruise vs. Wisconsin Herd By the Numbers
Points In the Paint: Cruise – 48 Herd – 70
Fast Break Points: Cruise – 4 Herd – 13
Field Goal Shooting: Cruise – 51.4% Herd – 57.3%
Zavier Simpson: 30 points, 11-22 FGs, 6 assists
Jontay Porter: 23 points, 8-16 FGs, 12 rebounds
Treveon Graham: 21 points, 4-6 FGs, 5 rebounds
What’s Next?
The Motor City Cruise are off the next three days of rest before a home rematch against Emoni Bates and the Cleveland Charge.
