| | 1st | 2nd | Final | Illinois State
| 21 | 39 | 60 | Wisconsin
| 34 | 37 | 71 | | Stats at a Glance
| ISU | WIS | | FG Percentage | .348 | .409 | | 3-Point FG Percentage | .250 | .385 | | FT Percentage | .769 | .667 | | Offensive Rebounds | 12 | 14 | | Defensive Rebounds | 29 | 29 | | Total Rebounds | 41 | 43 | | Turnovers | 8 | 8 | | Assists | 7 | 19 | | Steals | 3 | 3 | | |
Nov. 16, 2014
MADISON, Wis. --It was a cold afternoon in Madison, but things heated up inside the Kohl Center on Sunday afternoon as fans were treated to a Wisconsin women’s basketball win over Illinois State. Three Badgers put up double figures in the exciting 70-61 season opener.
Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey posted her fourth-consecutive season opening victory at the helm of the program, making her 4-0 in season premiers with the Badgers.
| Fast Facts | | • Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey is 4-0 in season openers with the Badgers | | • Nicole Bauman recorded a career-high nine assists | | • Three players score in double figures for Badgers | |
“We’re very happy with the win,” Kelsey said. “It’s nice to start the season off with a ‘W.’ The football team did what they did and the soccer team won their game. Everybody’s doing well and we’ve got to carry our weight.”
Wisconsin (1-0) jumped out to a 9-4 lead on five points from junior Nicole Bauman. The Redbirds (0-2) within a five-point margin until the 10:46 mark, when a 3-pointer from Tessa Cichy put the Badgers up 19-11. Back-to-back made free throw shots from Michala Johnson amped the Badgers to their largest lead of the half, 23-13, with 8:42 to play. The Badgers finished out the half with Johnson also sinking a pair of free throws to take a 34-21 lead heading into the locker room.
Johnson opened the second half by putting in a layup just 14 seconds in, kicking off a 20-3 run for the Badgers. Johnson finished with a team-leading 16 points, going 6-for-11 from the field, 4-for-5 from the free throw line and grabbing seven rebounds.
Wisconsin took its largest lead of the game with a little over 12 minutes to play, going up 54-24 on a layup by freshman Cayla McMorris. UW held a 22-point lead (64-42) with 5:13 to play before ISU went on a 9-0 run to cut the Badger lead to 64-49 with 3:45 remaining.
Johnson would score two more jumpers, putting Wisconsin up 68-53 with 2:27 left before the Redbirds were forced to foul. The Badgers went just 3-of-6 from the line to the final score.
“When we’re ahead like this, we just continue to work on our offense and just try to stick together,” Johnson said. “You have to play like you’re losing. Just because you’re up by 30, the game isn’t over and there’s still time on the clock.”
Jacki Gulczynski tied Johnson in rebounds, accounting for seven of the team’s total of 43. The Badgers outrebounded the Red Birds 43-41.
Bauman led all players and notched a career high with nine assists. Bauman’s 14 points on six made field goals and 12 attempts also tied her career highs.
“We’re confident on our ball handling and our ability to read the defense and take care of the ball,” Kelsey said. “No one had more than two turnovers, which is nice.”
Wisconsin and Illinois State both only turned the ball over eight times but UW dished off 19 assists, compared to just seven for ISU. The Badgers also outblocked the Redbirds, 10-3, behind four stuffs from Cassie Rochel.
McMorris had an impressive debut in the Cardinal and White, putting up 12 points in 23 minutes of play. Nine of those points came in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
“Cayla, she’s very aggressive,” Kelsey added. “Sometimes I got on her a little bit because she’s going one-on-three. But I like that about her; she’s not afraid.
“She took the ball strong to the basket. We know what she can do, and she’s only going to get better and better. We’re going to put her in a position to showcase her skills. And that’s for all the guards.”
The Badgers held the Red Birds to a 26.5 shooting percentage in the first half, shooting 9-of-34. Wisconsin held the Redbirds to just 14 field goals in the second half.
UW shot 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from the field and 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from beyond the arc. The Badgers showed improvement from the free-throw line, shooting 66.7 percent (12-of-18).
Wisconsin is back in action when it hosts Vanderbilt on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip off at the Kohl Center.
