With a 59-53 win over Illinois (10-16, 4-11), the UW women’s basketball team (10-15, 4-11) earned its first Big Ten road win of the season.
“Our kids battled tonight,” UW head coach Lisa Stone said. “It was a very physical game, and we weren’t getting too many calls, but we overcame the hostile environment and put this one away. I’m really proud of my team. We’ve been battling all kinds of things, and to have our first road win right now — it builds some momentum for us.”
After taking down Indiana at home Sunday, the Badgers have won two consecutive games for the first time since January.
“That look in their eyes; it’s amazing,” Stone said. “… We’re getting comfortable with each other. It’s never been an issue of anything negative, but I’m seeing some hunger; I’m seeing some fight; I’m seeing some battle.”
Wisconsin won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding the Big Ten’s leading rebounding squad 44-32. Forward Jordan Wilson followed a career day against Indiana with another strong performance, leading the Badgers with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Badgers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but the Illini answered with a 10-2 run to take a 10-7 advantage after the first nine minutes of play.
Turnovers plagued Wisconsin in the first half, allowing Illinois to extend its lead to 26-19 with 2:40 to play. Wisconsin closed out the half strong as Wilson poured in six consecutive buckets to cut the Illinois lead to 30-27 at halftime.
In the second half, the Badgers came out firing to open the period on a 9-0 run. Wisconsin shot an impressive 52 percent from the floor in the second frame while holding Illinois to 23.5 percent shooting.
The Badgers pushed their lead to 10 points, 54-44, with less than five minutes to play before the Illini battled back to cut the lead to three at 55-52. But the Badgers held on, calmly sinking 4-5 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
In a balanced offensive performance, forward Ebba Gebisa, center Emily Asbaugh, and guard Stephanie Rich each tallied 10 points, and Ashley Josephson just missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.
Center Cindy Dallas, the Big Ten’s leading rebounder, led the Illini 14 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Angelina Williams and forward Tiffanie Guthrie each posted 15 points.
With one game to play before the Big Ten tournament, the Badgers hope their recent success will generate momentum heading into the postseason.
“It’s time to play,” Stone said. “You throw record books out of the way right now; it feels like March to me.”
— compiled from staff reports
