November 10, newly instated Head Coach Marisa Moseley secured her first career win in her Madison debut against Ruth Sinn’s St. Thomas squad, defeating the Tommies in a 67-51 victory at the Kohl Center.
In a shorthanded effort without talented scorer Julie Pospíšilová, who is currently representing the Badgers overseas for the Czech Republic national team, Moseley elected to start freshman Krystyna Ellew alongside Sydney Hilliard, Katie Nelson, Brooke Schramek and Sara Stapleton.
The decision to insert the newcomer into the starting five certainly paid off. Ellew, the all-time leading scorer for Taft High School in Chicago, finished with a team-high of 29 points, snatched 5 rebounds and recorded a perfect 8-8 mark from the charity stripe over 34:47 minutes. The 5-foot-10-inch guard etched her name into Wisconsin record books tying Theresa Huff — a 1998 inductee to the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame — for first place all-time in single game free throw percentage for a freshman. The Chicago native also jumped up to fifth in single game scoring for a freshman, tying another Badger legend, Jolene Anderson.
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I asked the standout to describe how it felt to join Badger royalty and she admitted, “I wasn’t even aware of how many points I had during the game. I just wanted to win … Hearing that afterwards, it feels great.”
“She played incredibly well … she has shown her incredible knack for scoring, and she’s not afraid to be physical, especially as a freshman,” Moseley said. “I’m so incredibly proud of her.”
Ellew did most of her damage in the second quarter, hitting on three looks from behind-the-arc, two free throws and a pair of two-point field goals for 15 of her 29 tallies. After a jittery 14-13 start in the first period of play, the newcomer led Wisconsin on an early surge, contributing to the 14-point lead and 13-point swing by halftime.
Despite full-court defensive pressure and a late-game comeback attempt by St. Thomas, the Badgers never looked back. They outscored the Tommies in every quarter, forcing 17 turnovers and collecting 7 steals.
As a team, Wisconsin shot 44.6% from the field, 35.7% from three and 92.3% from the line. UW accounted for 32 scores in the paint —12 more than Sinn’s group — and managed 20 points off turnovers. Junior guard and 2020-2021 leading scorer Sydney Hilliard added 17 points, three assists and a team-leading six rebounds. Katie Nelson, the 2021 first-team All-Patriot League selection who ran point guard for Moseley at Boston University, snagged four steals and handed out four dimes over a game-high 38:30 minutes on the hardwood.
Forward Erin Norling led the Tommies in scoring with 15, and Kaia Porter, the second-leading scorer during the 2020-2021 season, racked up 13 points of her own. St. Thomas accumulated seven more assists than UW but only shot 28.6% from deep and 40% from the field. In its first Division I test in program history, Sinn’s team could not overcome a hungry Badgers squad.
Wisconsin’s next home battle is scheduled against Mike Lane and the NJIT Highlanders at 1 p.m. Nov. 14. In another bout without Pospíšilová, the Badgers look to establish early season success during the 2021-2022 campaign, something last year’s group failed to accomplish. Anticipate another strong performance from Hilliard, Nelson and Ellew on Sunday.
