Shooting below 30 percent from the floor won’t win a team many games, especially on the road against a power six conference opponent such as Wisconsin. That notion held true Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center as the Wisconsin women’s basketball team held Drake to just 26 percent shooting and won their first game of the season, 66-41.

Head coach Bobbie Kelsey felt it was a combination of strong defense and Drake not being able to get into a rhythm that resulted in the Bulldogs making just 14 of 56 field goals and only shooting 19 percent from three-point range. The Badgers held all-MVC preseason pick Kyndal Clark to just three points and no Drake player scored in double figures.

“We always hang our hat on trying to take away the other team’s best scorers, which were Clark and [Morgan] Reid,” Kelsey said. “They’re two of the players that they really depend on, and we held them both to single digits.”

Sunday’s game meant the highly anticipated debut for Wisconsin forward and Connecticut transfer Michala Johnson. She did not disappoint. After sitting out last season per NCAA transfer rules, Johnson scored the first six points for the Badgers to open the game. She finished the game with 16 points and 16 rebounds, with seven of those rebounds coming off the offensive glass.

After scoring 12 of her points in the first half, nearly recording a double-double in the first 20 minutes, Drake switched up their game plan to focus on stopping Johnson who was dominating in the low post. With their tallest starter being just six feet tall, the Bulldogs were greatly overmatched down low against the 6-foot-3 Johnson and 6-foot-1 Jackie Gulczynski. Wisconsin won the rebounding total, 49-34.

“It was a little frustrating,” Johnson said about scoring just four points in the second half. “They were double teaming me, then triple teaming me and I felt like the whole team was on me. So I adjusted, we made changes as a team, so our shooters became open.”

“We have to learn how to play from inside out,” Kelsey said. “Get [Johnson] established first, and then when they start sinking in, then we get the guards going.”

With Johnson drawing plenty of attention from the Bulldog defense, Wisconsin needed to find a guard to start attacking the paint and score.

Enter sophomore guard Dakota Whyte.

Taking over point guard duties for the season, Whyte came on in the second half scoring 12 of her game high 18 points in the final half. She tacked on four rebounds and dished out two assists as well.

“I thought Dakota [Whyte] had a really good game,” Kelsey said. “She’s come such a long way from last year, and she’s still learning. So, she’s going to get a lot better.”

Filling in at point guard last season due to the numerous injuries the Badgers suffered, Whyte has taken her game to the next level according to Kelsey. This is in large part as to why Kelsey gave her the ever important duty of being the team’s point guard for the season. Whyte was ready to get out on the court today as the team’s signal caller.

“It’s pressure [being the starting point guard],” Whyte said. “I’m kind of ready to just fill the role. I’ve been waiting for it for a year now and I’ve been just working hard for it.”

Joining Whyte in the backcourt was fifth year senior Taylor Wurtz. Having redshirted last season due to a back injury, Wurtz came into Sunday’s game needing just five points to become Wisconsin’s 22nd member of the 1,000 point club. She reached the 1,000 point milestone on a three-pointer in the first half. Wurtz ended the game with 13 points to go along with seven rebounds in her return to the court.

“I’m just really happy to be back,” Wurtz said. “I get to play with [Johnson], Dakota [Whyte], Morgan [Paige], Jacki [Gulczynski] and all of my teammates that I was watching last year. Now I’m finally out there playing. I’m just excited and I want to put everything I have into this team.”

Johnson, Wurtz and Whyte leading the team could become a familiar theme for this year’s team. It certainly was on Sunday as the three of them combined to score 47 of the team’s 66 points and grabbed over half of the team’s rebounds for the game.

“Michala [Johnson] did what she always does, which is get rebounds and score, and Taylor [Wurtz] is a threat out there as well,” Kelsey said. “A lot of other kids contributed well, but those three really had nice games for us. We’re going to keep building on what we’ve seen tonight and improve.”