With Wisconsin and Iowa State knotted at 73 points apiece, sophomore guard Ashley Josephson hit a driving layup with four seconds remaining in regulation and was fouled to put the Badgers ahead to stay on their way to a 76-73 win. Josephson calmly sank the free throw, forcing Iowa State to go the length of the floor. The Cyclones, hoping to send the game into an extra five minutes, threw a full-court pass that was disrupted by Wisconsin, and Iowa State was forced to throw up a prayer that was well off the mark. With the win, the Badgers evened their record to 3-3 on the season and put together its most complete game this season in holding off the Cyclones in a nail biter.
“Wow, what a great win; I’m so proud of this basketball team. It was a tremendous team effort,” UW head coach Lisa Stone said. “It was an outstanding first half defensively and we sustained an Iowa State run and didn’t go into the tank.”
The Badgers placed their entire starting five in double figures — Lello Gebisa leading the way with a season-high 17. Josephson tallied 13, while center Emily Ashbaugh added 12 and forward Ebba Gebisa chipped in with 11.
Stephanie Rich was held in check with 10 points but ran the point position effectively in dishing out a game-high eight assists. Rich also focused on her defense, as she came up with three steals that all led to Badger scores.
“When we can have 21 assists that’s some team basketball. We had a great effort on the glass and a contribution from a lot of people,” Stone said.
Wisconsin was able to score 29 points off Iowa State turnovers, compared to just eight for the Cyclones as Wisconsin committed a season-low 12 turnovers. Iowa State, now 3-2 on the season, had four players coming into the game averaging double figures and two more with nine points per game.
Only three Cyclones hit double figures with guard Erica Junod having a game-high 18, including 4-5 from three-point range. Freshman point guard Lindsey Medders added 15, while reserve forward Megan Ronhovde had 14.
While not showing up in the stats, Wisconsin’s height again posted problems for an opponent. Iowa State post players Brittany Wilkins and Lisa Kreiner combined for just 10 points on the day and would foul out contending with the taller Badgers. Coming off a two-game losing streak, Wisconsin came out of the gates quickly and as a result got a variety of players involved. Ashley Josephson began the opening run with a jumper and finished it off minutes later with one of her specialties, a three pointer, to make 11-4. A Rich steal and layup and jumpers by Ashbaugh and Lello Gebisa fueled the run and gave Wisconsin the early momentum it needed.
Wisconsin spirits could have been hammered when Josephson was whistled for her two fouls within 12 seconds. She retreated to the bench with the clock still showing 16:38 left in the first half. Iowa State would stay close with two straight baskets by guard Erica Junod and a rebound by center Brittany Wilkins to put the Cyclones within a point, 20-19, with under eight minutes to play in the first half. Wisconsin guard Kandace Evans replaced Josephson and contributed two three-point baskets to keep Wisconsin in the lead. Wisconsin used a 21-6 run in the final eight minutes to head to the locker room with a 41-25 lead, as seven Badger players cracked the scoring column.
Iowa State, a team who attempts nearly 25 three-pointers per game, had only seven attempts in the first half. That would soon change, as Iowa State started the second half by knocking down three-pointers and finished the game 10-for-20 from three-point range.
Wisconsin was able to weather the first Iowa State run and found themselves up 12 with just over six minutes to play.
Iowa State, coming into the game 3-1 and a common visitor of the NCAA tournament, would not go down without a fight and used a balanced attack with back-to-back three-pointers from Junod and a three-pointer and driving layups by Lyndsey Medders to find themselves on Wisconsin’s heels once again, 72-71, with just one minute to play. A missed jumper by Stephanie Rich gave the Cyclones an opportunity to take their first lead since a 2-0 advantage at the start of the game.
Medders, who broke down the Badger defense in the second half with her penetration, couldn’t add another one of her layups. On the Badgers’ ensuing possession, Lello Gebisa was fouled and hit one of two free throws. Iowa State’s Anne O’Neil was then fouled by Lello Gebisa and hit two free throws to tie the game at 73 with just 16 seconds remaining.
A Badger timeout then set the stage for Josephson’s late-game heroics.
“Coach designed it, she put it on the drawing board, and we just did it to perfection,” Josephson said. “Emily (Ashbaugh) gave a great screen out high and that freed me, so I just took it to the hole, which the coach said to do.”
