It was a tale of two halves for the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team Wednesday night at the Kohl Center, losing 83-64 to Dayton University in front of the home crowd.
All was well in the first half, going into the locker-room holding a four point edge. The Badgers even out-rebounded the Flyers by 8 and shot 60 percent from beyond the arc, but were unable to pull close enough to earn their first win of the year.
Women’s basketball: Tsipis looks to lead Badgers to first win of the season Wednesday
The second half was where the fun really ended for the Badgers and they lost their rhythm completely. UW surrendered a generous 56.8 field goal percentage that allowed Dayton to come storming back.
The home team also lost the battle on the boards decisively as the Flyers came away with a 10 rebound advantage in the second half, including 10 on the offensive end. Dayton’s forward, Alex Harris, led the way — she ended the game with 13 bounds, including a crooked seven on the offensive glass. This led to 10 second chance points in the second half.
The Badgers could not find the same frenzied offense that scored 100 points in an outing last week. Their lone bright spot was junior guard Cayla McMorris. McMorris was 6-13 from the field, converting on 5-6 free throws to a tune of 19 points.
The junior seems to be well on her way to a great season with her performance Wednesday, following up a career high 31 point explosion on Sunday. Other than McMorris, the Badgers were unable to get what they needed from their stars. Redshirt Senior forward Avyanna Young only pulled down four rebounds, none of which came on offense.
The Flyers finished with some encouraging stats moving forward. Dayton made half of all its three-pointers, which was good for 39 points off threes, compared to the Badger’s 15. UD also played pesky defense, recording 10 steals as a team, three coming from guard JaVonna Layfield. The steals paired nicely with Layfield’s 14 point outing and seven rebounds for a well rounded performance from the junior.
Dayton finished with a 17 point advantage coming off the bench and faired eight points better on fast break points.
Overall, the Flyers outscored the Badgers 83-64 on the game and 58-35 in the second half.
The Badgers face off against the (2-1) University of Butler Sunday at the Kohl Center, still in search of their first win in the Tipis era.
