Last-Second Shot Beats Badgerball
November 22, 2002 | Women's Basketball
A last-second shot by Northern Illinois' Monique Davis gave the Huskies the go-ahead basket to spoil Wisconsin's season opener, 49-47 in DeKalb, Ill., Friday night. With the game tied at 47, the Badgers turned the ball over with 12 seconds left allowing Davis her last second heroics.
Moments before, Wisconsin took its first lead of the game, 47-45, on two free throws by Kristi Seeger with 45 seconds left. The Badgers had trailed 43-34 with 7:03 left in the game. Leah Hefte had five points to spark a 9-0 run that tied the game at 43 with 3:26 left.
'I think their defense in the first half took us out of what we were trying to do, took us out of our game plan completely,' coach Jane Albright said. 'We need to play some games and when we get some playing time we 'll be fine. NIU is a veteran team, but I was pleased with our second half performance to come back to be in the game and be in a position to win.'
Maybe it was the season opening jitters or the new rims in the just-opened NIU Convocation Center, but Wisconsin mustered just .259 percent from the field. Known for its sticky defense, NIU kept the Badgers off balance with tipped balls, tie-ups and double-teamed UW's post players. The Huskies never trailed until the last minute of the game and had built a 29-20 lead with 1:17 left in the first half. Jennifer Youngblood had 14 of her game-high 19 points in the first half.
'We hit our free throws down the stretch and we out rebounded them [in the second half],' Albright said. 'It was a typical first game when neither team had an offensive rhythm. They were just kind of slugging it out defensively. It was awfully physical. It looked like football out there sometimes. '
Wisconsin was unable to sustain any offense with its three post players combining for just 4-21 for the game. NIU had scoring problems as well, suffering through a seven minute lull in the second half while allowing the Badgers to catch up.
'This is a big win for us,' NIU coach Carol Hammerle said. 'We shut down their inside game.'
The Badger senior leadership led the way on the scoreboard with Seeger and Hefte registering double-digits. Seeger tallied 10 points, while Hefte totaled 11.
Wisconsin's next game is its regular season home opener. The Badgers tip-off against UW-Green Bay Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
