By beating the Badgers Thursday night, the No. 13 Minnesota Gophers stay in the race for the Big Ten. For the Gophers it was pertinent that they get the win, and they did. The Gophers’ win allows them to remain undefeated at home for the first time since 1981. Minnesota’s 76-53 win over the Badgers in Minneapolis was the sixth straight for the Gophers, giving them a record of 22-4 and 11-4 in the conference. The Badgers drop to 7-19 and 5-10 to remain in 8th place in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin held the high-octane Gophers in check for the first 10 minutes, but Minnesota took advantage of the14 first-half turnovers to take a 38-25 lead at the half. Turnovers have been the Badgers’ own worst enemy all season long. Working the inside, Stevens Point native Janel McCarville had 13 of her game-high 21 in the first half.
“Their offensive sets are exceptional,” Wisconsin head coach Jane Albright said. “They are probably one of the better teams in our conference or in the nation.”
In the second half, the Badgers drew within 11 points at 33-44 with 13:16 left on an old-fashioned three-point play by sophomore guard Stephanie Rich. After making the free throw, Rich and the Badgers appeared to be ready to make a run, but Minnesota got its fast-paced offense going. Fueled by Badger misses, the Gophers went on a12-0 run and put the game out of reach at 56-23 with 10:54 remaining. UW never mounted a serious threat after that deficit, and the Badger women’s team lost its third-straight game.
“We got in foul trouble. We were actually playing four guards at one time because of the quick foul trouble we got in,” Albright said of her team’s struggles. “We had lineups that we really hadn’t practiced; and again it was foul trouble.”
Sophomore guard Stephanie Rich lead Wisconsin with 14 points, nailing all five of her free-throw attempts and posting the team’s only three-pointer. Registering her fifth double-double of the season with 11 total points and 10 rebounds, junior center Lello Geibsa provided a good effort for UW, but received little form Wisconsin’s other post players.
Last year’s Big Ten player of the year, Lindsay Whalen, added 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and six steals to complete a great overall game for Minnesota. Playing in front of a crowd of 9,753, the Gophers ended their home season in style. Minnesota is now tied for second place in the Big Ten after its Senior Day win.
The Badgers look ahead to their final regular-season contest Sunday at noon when they will face No. 15 Penn State in Happy Valley.
Finally, the Badgers will look to show what they are truly made of when they compete in the Big Ten tournament, beginning March 6 in Indianapolis, following their regular season.
— compiled from staff reports