Forward Serah Williams and the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team (10-9) celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day Jan. 27 by leaning on a dominant first quarter to earn a 73-62 home win over Rutgers University (6-16).
Rutgers began the game with their worst quarter of the season as the Scarlet Knights managed just three points in the entire first frame. The 1-for-15 shooting effort involved seven turnovers which helped the Badgers generate 22 points of their own on the offensive end.
UW spread the ball around well in the first quarter with no player shooting more than four times. Superior ball movement paid off with five of UW’s players having more first quarter points than the entire Rutgers team.
Although 19 second quarter points enabled the Scarlet Knights to cut into the deficit, UW ultimately took a 37-22 lead to the locker room.
The Badgers upped its lead to 14 going into the fourth quarter and seemed destined for a painless conclusion — especially considering Rutgers’ putrid 12-for-42 shooting performance through the first three quarters. The Scarlet Knights’ game-long offensive struggles made their sudden 26-point fourth quarter offensive onslaught all the more impressive.
Rutgers would ambush UW to the tune of a 15-2 run launched near the beginning of the fourth. The sudden attack shrunk a once seemingly insurmountable lead to just four with under three minutes to play.
With the game suddenly in danger, the Badgers ripped off a 12-5 run of their own to finish off what ultimately became a double-digit win far closer than the score indicated.
The win came largely due to the contributions of Williams — who was coming off of a 24-point, 15-rebound performance that gave UW an upset win over the University of Minnesota the game prior. Williams was electric on both sides of the ball against Rutgers — tying a career-high with 31 points to go along with 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Women’s Basketball: Badgers earn marquee upset win over rival Minnesota
Williams’ offensive production was bolstered by incredible efficiency. The Big Ten’s leader in blocks shot 12-for-14 from the field including a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the arc. She finished the game +22, six points more than her teammate Ronnie Porter who was +16.
Porter herself had a solid performance of her own which consisted of 11 points and nine of her team’s 18 assists.
The reported crowd for the Big Ten reached upwards of 6,000 — over 1,500 more than the team’s season average. The vivacious crowd was partially a result of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day promotion that saw members of the school’s softball and volleyball teams make appearances at the Kohl Center to celebrate the occasion.
On Monday, it was announced that Williams earned Big Ten Player of the Week and sharpshooter Tessa Grady was named the Big Ten Rookie of the Week. It was the first time in school history that UW swept the weekly honors in a loaded Big Ten Conference.
With 10 wins to their name, the Badgers’ next win will match their win total from last season. They will get their opportunity to do exactly that on the road Thursday at No. 8 ranked Ohio State University.
