Boise State:
After coming up short in four straight outings, Marisa Moseley’s Badgers secured their first victory against the Boise State Broncos with a 60-45 win in a dominant defensive effort.
Fortunately for the Badgers, neither team shined on the offensive end during the first quarter. The red and white opened with only nine total points in the first period of play, recording a 21.4% clip from the field and missing on all six attempts from downtown. Broncos coach Gordy Presnell and his squad notched 10 points and only executed on four out of 17 shots from the floor in the opening stretch.
Moseley’s group turned up the intensity during the second, forcing nine turnovers in that period alone. With a spark from freshman Krystyna Ellew, who accounted for two three-pointers and four rebounds in only eight minutes, UW went 50% on three-point attempts and outscored Boise State 18-11 before halftime. Despite leading by six before the break, junior guard Julie Pospíšilová struggled early on, going 1-7 prior to intermission.
From that point forward, the Badgers didn’t look back. Wisconsin shot 57.1% in the third and 60% from deep, restricting Boise State to 1-12 from distance in the final 20 minutes of play.
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UW held the advantage for 31:14 of the bout and extended its lead to 19 in the fourth. In forcing 20 Bronco giveaways, the Badgers scored 17 points off turnovers and achieved nine fast break points.
The Boise State offense never hit its groove, missing 17 three-pointers and accumulating eight total assists. Presnell’s squad earned one basket off Wisconsin turnovers and shot 30.9% from the field.
In 33 minutes of action, Julie Pospíšilová registered a game-high 15 points, eight dimes and seven boards off 42.9% from three. Sydney Hilliard added 11 tallies, five rebounds and two steals while forward Brooke Schramek chalked up eight points and two steals in only 20 total minutes of play.
Sophomore Mary Kay Naro led the way for the Broncos, hitting three field goals and four attempts from the charity stripe, dishing out six assists and snatching four rebounds in 38 minutes. Redshirt senior Dominique Leonidas executed on two of four shots from outside, and sophomore Elodie Lalotte racked up eight tallies off 80% from the floor to go along with her six boards in only 13 minutes.
Colorado
After an easy victory over Boise State in Saturday’s match, the Badgers squared off against an undefeated squad at Colorado’s home court.
Colorado outscored UW 18-9 in the opening frame and reached the charity stripe seven times within the first 10 minutes. Wisconsin did not attempt a single free throw in the first quarter and committed six turnovers early on.
The Buffaloes maintained their edge in the following period, extending their lead to 15 by the 3:23 mark in the second quarter. Despite outshooting CU by 7.7%, the Badgers trailed the Buffaloes by 10 by halftime.
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Both squads managed adequate field goal percentages in the third, with Wisconsin hitting on 53.3% of shot attempts and Colorado going 9/17 from the floor. Again, CU’s aggressiveness and discipline on defense lifted the black and gold above UW. The Buffaloes closed out the third period of play on an 11-2 scoring run and essentially brought the game to a close.
UW finally achieved its first points from the foul line with 14 seconds left in the fourth after allowing 14 consecutive Buffalo points without scoring. Wisconsin had no response to the Buffalo’s offense, and the final score was 67-51 in favor of Colordao.
CU dominated for almost the entire match, holding the advantage for nearly 37 minutes. The Badgers only reached the charity stripe four times and the Buffaloes forced 18 giveaways.
Despite shooting better from the field, Wisconsin went 5-23 from behind-the-arc compared to Colorado’s impressive 7-19 mark from distance. Payne’s bench stepped up as well, outscoring the Badgers bench 24-10.
The Buffaloes stayed aggressive for the entire outing, registering 20 second chance points and 18 offensive rebounds alongside 12 made free throws.
In a losing effort, Julie Pospíšilová secured 10 points, swatted away two shot attempts, and grabbed three loose balls in 37 minutes of action. Forward Brooke Schrameck accounted for 11 points, four rebounds and three assists while shooting 50%. Junior Sydney Hilliard assumed her typical scoring role, shooting 6/8 and notching four assists in 33 minutes.
Across the hardwood, fifth-year student athlete Mya Hollingshed dominated for CU. Her 18 points and 10 rebounds were both game highs. She also registered two blocks and an impressive 70% clip from the field. Junior Jaylyn Sherrod dished out five dimes and recorded four steals while junior guard Lesila Finau dropped 10 points and six boards in 26 minutes for JR Payne.
The Badgers return home to face off against the Virginia Tech Hokies for the first time since 2012 on Dec. 1 for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
