A long, difficult and disappointing season came to an end on Wednesday as the Wisconsin women’s basketball team fell in overtime to Northwestern 76-72 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Badgers (7-22) could not hold onto to a double-digit second half lead and allowed the Wildcats (16-15) to snatch the game away in the closing moments.
The Badgers had an opportunity to end the game in regulation, but were unable to get a shot off in the closing moments after a 27-second possession.
Then, down two points with 10 seconds remaining overtime, UW had an opportunity to extend the game. Senior guard Nicole Bauman had a chance to tie the game when she found an open alley to the hoop. She drove to the basket, but was blocked by Northwestern’s Amber Jamison.
The Wildcats hit their free throws to extend their lead to four, and the Badgers’ season was over.
As has been the case over the last month of play, the Wildcats honed in on UW’s leading scorer in Bauman, as she was held to just five points on 2-of-13 shooting and dealt with foul trouble throughout the game.
Wisconsin player of the game: Redshirt junior forward Avyanna Young
Despite Michala Johnson’s outstanding night — she had 22 points and eight rebounds — it was Young who proved to be the x-factor as she gave the Badgers a powerful low-post punch. Young scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds to keep Wisconsin in the game when they needed them most. Her first double double of the year will hopefully help spring board her into a big senior season.
Northwestern player of the game: Sophomore guard Christen Inman
Inman tied for a game-high 18 points and corralled nine rebounds en route to the Wildcats victory. In addition to her scoring, she paced the offense and remarkably only had a single turnover despite playing 39 minutes in the game.
Quotable
Johnson on her productive first half:
“I knew a lot of the personnel guarding me was in foul trouble, so I just needed to keep attacking. If they came over and doubled, I would have dished, but I just kept attacking and going to the basket every time.”
Senior guard Dakota White on her career at Wisconsin:
“This has been a great four years for me. This will, you know, prepare me for any adversity that I hit in the next five or 10 years. But my career here was definitely one that was an upward movement, and I’m just so grateful that I have the opportunity to play here.”
Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey on what her seniors mean to this program:
“When Wisconsin becomes a powerhouse, it will be because of those seniors and what they contributed, even though the ‘win’ column didn’t say that. If you look at the scores, they’re right there. We just need one or two more players to buy in and come and make the Badgers what we know they can be.”
