With three career-topping performances, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team battled the Washington Huskies but couldn’t rebound from a 13-point halftime deficit, falling 81-69 Monday night in Seattle. UW falls to 1-4 and the Huskies improve to 4-1.

“This is the best game we’ve played,” coach Jane Albright said. “I’m really proud that in this environment when we got down by 15, we just didn’t throw in the towel.”

Sophomore guard Stephanie Rich had a remarkable showing, posting a career-high 20 points. She became the fourth Badger in program history to hit six three-pointers in a single game, nailing six of eight treys. Rich also came away with five steals and six boards.

Not alone in a career-best performance, freshman guard Ashley Josephson put up 13 in her fifth game as a Badger, hitting all three of her three-point attempts. With Rich and sophomore Shawna Nicols, the trio shot 13-24 for 54.1 percent, the best guard shooting percentage of the season.

Also registering a career-best was junior center Lello Gebisa who brought 12 points for Wisconsin, going five for seven from the field and two for two at the foul line. Setting a new school three-point percentage record, the Badgers hit 10 of 12 for 83.3 percent, including one from Nicols.

But an electric first half by the Huskies proved fatal for the Badgers. Washington hit seven of 13 three-pointers in the first, due in large part to Loree Payne, who posted 27 points overall. With 17 UW turnovers and accurate Huskie shooting in the first, the Badgers fell back 13 late in the half.

“We have a young Loree Payne, and her name is Stephanie Rich,” Albright said. “They are the same type of gym rat. They are just shooting all the time.”

Out-shooting Washington 39-38 in the second half, Wisconsin shot 87 percent from three-point land and over 57 percent from the field but was unable to overcome the 13-point deficit held at halftime.

“We improved a lot [on this trip],” Albright said. “For us to come in here and up our average against a team like that and against their zone, I thought we really corrected a lot of errors. Then again we still have the fatal flaw [of turnovers], and we will have to correct that or this will be a neverending story. Every day we get to practice as a unit I expect that aspect of our game will improve.”

The Badgers look ahead to Thursday, Dec. 5, when they play host to Ball State at the Kohl Center at 7 p.m.

— compiled from staff reports