The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (11-19, 6-12 Big Ten) closed out their regular season with a win, defeating No. 12 Michigan (21-8, 11-7) 78-70 Sunday at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers defeated the Wolverines for the first time since 2014 to clinch their third straight win to finish the regular season. Sunday’s victory also marks the first time Wisconsin has won three straight Big Ten games since the 2010-2011 season.
Before the match, Wisconsin honored Julie Pospisilova, Avery LaBarbera and Sara Stapleton in celebration of the team’s Senior Day celebration. Stapleton also earned her first start of the season in the final regular season game.
The red and white got off to a great start offensively. Moseley’s group shot 7-of-14 from the field and made four 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes. Maty Wilke knocked down a pair of deep 3-pointers and found an inside layup to lead all scorers with eight points in the first quarter. Despite an impressive offensive effort early, Michigan was able to tie up the game at 18-18 at the end of the first frame.
Women’s Basketball: Wisconsin survives late surge from Northwestern to win 10th game of season
It was a back-and-forth battle between the Badgers and the Wolverines in the second quarter. The seesawing resulted in six league changes in the second frame. Michigan, without their top two scorers due to injuries and internal issues, relied heavily on Maddie Nolan and Emily Kiser to lead the Wolverines.
The Badgers were effective in double-teaming Kiser — they allowed the fifth-year forward just one basket in the second frame. With pressure on Kiser, Nolan stepped up to the plate for the blue and gold and scored 14 points in the first half.
Wisconsin used a combination of youth and experience to try and pull away from the Wolverines in the second quarter. Pospisilova and Serah Williams led the Badgers on a 7-0 run early in the second frame. The pair scored all of Wisconsin’s points in the second quarter with nine points each.
Despite impressive first-half performances by Pospisilova and Williams, the Badgers went into the locker room with a slim 36-35 advantage.
The battle continued in the third quarter. Both squads looked to gain a decisive advantage early in the second half. Both teams were relentless on defense in the third frame, but Wisconsin’s offense was selfless and effective, and UW moved the ball around to create open opportunities for a variety of scorers. The Badgers entered the fourth quarter with a three-point advantage and an opportunity to knock down a top 15 ranked team.
Marisa Moseley’s squad continued to play a selfless offensive scheme that pushed the Badger lead to 11 with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines responded with a 7-0 run over the next 2:30 to cut the deficit to as little as four points in the final frame, but Wisconsin converted 12-of-14 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes to retain the majority.
Women’s Basketball: Badgers roll past Rutgers for ninth win of season
The Badgers defense closed out the game with three steals and a pair of blocks en route to a 78-70 win, finishing the regular season with six conference victories — their most since the 2010-2011 season.
Pospisilova, playing in front of her parents who flew into Madison from Prague to celebrate the guard’s Senior Day, led the Badgers with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists. Redshirt freshman Wilke scored in double figures for the fifth straight game with 15 points and two steals in the victory. Williams added 14 points and five rebounds, and LaBarbera rounded out Wisconsin’s double-digit scorers with an impressive performance of 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Michigan was led by senior guard Nolan who scored 21 points in the loss. Emily Kiser finished the contest with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 boards. Jordan Hobbs rounded out the Wolverines’ double-digit scorers with 16 points.
Wisconsin enters next week’s Big Ten tournament on a three game winning streak, earning the No. 7 seed in the tournament. The Badgers will face Purdue Thursday in Minneapolis.
