In Wisconsin’s eighth consecutive match against a Big Ten foe, Amy Williams and the Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-4, 3-4 Big Ten) pummeled Marisa Moseley’s Badgers (5-14, 2-7 Big Ten) 77-44 Jan. 27 in Lincoln.
Despite a highly contested first 3:30 of regulation, an Alexis Markowski layup at the 6:34 mark propelled the Cornhuskers to a 14-0 scoring run over a four-minute stretch. The University of Wisconsin didn’t scratch the scoresheet for nearly half the period. But, thanks to Hilliard and Pospíšilová, the Badgers only trailed by nine heading into the second — even with a dismal 0-7 shooting performance from downtown.
Nebraska continued their offensive excellence in the following period, generating a 12-2 scoring output including a pair of 3-point looks from Ashley Scoggin. Wisconsin battled back, cutting the Cornhusker edge to 14 with 2:23 to spare prior to intermission. The Cornhuskers shot 44.4% in the quarter and headed into the locker room with a 16-tally advantage.
Within the first two minutes of the third, both groups couldn’t buy a bucket, combining for 0-9 shooting from the field. Within the blink of an eye, the Cornhuskers established a 24-point lead, after another substantial scoring run. The Badgers executed on 40% of their long-range heaves during the third but still trailed by 22 heading into the final stretch.
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Wisconsin chalked up nine total points in the fourth with three made shots. Brooke Schramek and Krystyna Ellew accounted for seven of the nine points down the stretch, but the Cornhuskers essentially took control of the contest in only three periods, ending the bout with a 33-point edge.
Nebraska’s defensive front proved too much for UW to overcome. They scored 25 points off 18 Badger giveaways, racked up 46 points in the paint with 43 rebounds.
The Cornhuskers claimed 30 bench points, 27 more than Wisconsin, and grabbed eight loose balls as well. Eleven different student-athletes scored for coach Williams, and Nebraska led for over three quarters of regulation on Thursday evening.
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Badgers guard Sydney Hilliard notched a team-high 16 points and distributed three assists with a stellar 72.7% shooting performance. In her 34 minutes of action, junior Julie Pospíšilová added 12 points and six rebounds.
For Nebraska, Markowski punched in a team-leading six field goals for 15 points and pulled down eight misses off the glass in only 18 minutes on the hardwood. Sophomore Jaz Shelley flirted with a triple-double, securing nine assists, nine rebounds, two steals, and five points.
