The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team (6-3) was handed its third loss of the 2019-20 season Thursday, falling to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-1) in convincing fashion. The Badgers then traveled to North Dakota to take on the North Dakota State Bison (1-9) after only two days’ rest, narrowly avoiding disaster in the closing stages of their final non-conference road game.
Wisconsin, coming off of their trip to the Bahamas, stumbled out of the gate in Atlanta. Georgia Tech looked more prepared from the tip and took advantage of the Badgers’ lackluster shooting to open up a nine-point lead in the early stages. Posting only six points in the first quarter, Wisconsin was playing catch-up the entire way, failing to hold the lead for even a second.
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The Badgers would finally settle into the game before halftime, outscoring the Yellow Jackets in the second period 14–12 and cutting the deficit to seven before the break. Head Coach Jonathan Tsipis’ club — which has been able to generate third-quarter momentum by addressing the game plan and shoring up tactics in previous games — had no answer this time around, and again were outplayed in the third, putting the game out of reach for good.
Both teams shot under 17% from three-point range, and Wisconsin managed to convert on only half of their opportunities from the free-throw line. Georgia Tech won the battle in the paint and handily out-rebounded Wisconsin throughout, cruising to their sixth win on the year. Imani Lewis and Abby Laszewski led the Badger, each posting 10 points in the game, but it wasn’t enough in a tough game all around as the Badgers fell 60–41.
The Badgers needed to rebound from their disappointing Thursday result and traveled to North Dakota for a 2 p.m. bout with struggling North Dakota State. The Bison failed to keep in touch with a majority of its competitors throughout its first games. Sunday afternoon was a different story, as the Bison held Wisconsin in check for the entire game, refusing to let them impose their will at any point.
Wisconsin trailed until the end of the first quarter before a 10–0 run propelled them to a lead which they would hold until the fourth quarter. The Bison played resilient basketball, out-rebounding Wisconsin and making every free-throw attempt. As the game came to a head, the Badger lead dwindled to one, but the Badgers prevailed 64–63.
The Badgers will return home for their final contests in non-conference play against Alabama State and Prairie View A&M. The matchup with Alabama State will take place Dec. 12, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
