Badgers battle back in fourth quarter to cage the Panthers

Wednesday, November 29

Pittsburgh, PA

6 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

(4-3)

Pittsburgh

(5-2)

Wisconsin

Pitt

Photo by: David Stluka

Badgers battle back in fourth quarter to cage the Panthers

November 29, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score PDF Box Score at Pitt

Wisconsin defeats Pitt at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Box Score

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Wisconsin women's basketball team overcame adversity in the fourth quarter, defeating Pittsburgh 58-57 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Petersen Events Center Wednesday night.

The Badgers (4-3 overall) held off a Pitt (5-2) rally in the final quarter to earn their second-straight win.

UW junior forward Marsha Howard had a monstrous night, scoring a team-high 14 points while adding a career-high 15 rebounds for the first double-double of her career.

Senior Cayla McMorris enjoyed another outstanding game, recording 12 points and nine rebounds. The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota native has scored in the double-digits during six of Wisconsin's seven games this season.

Sophomore Courtney Fredrickson added another 11 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer.

Notes to Know

Three Badgers scored double-digit points, including Marsha Howard (14), Cayla McMorris (12) and Courtney Fredrickson (11).
Wisconsin shot a season-high 85.7 percent (12-14) from the charity stripe.
UW held a major advantage in rebounds, earning 48 boards to Pitt's 25.
Pitt outshot UW from the field, shooting 38.9 percent (21-54) to Wisconsin's 36.8 percent (21-57).
The Badgers had 15 offensive rebounds in the victory.
UW improved to 6-5 in Big Ten/ACC Challenge games and 2-1 in contests against Pitt.

Quotable

"I don't know how many times I've ever been in a game, and now it's two of the last four games, where you have one team foul in the last minute of the fourth quarter. It was a huge defensive stand. Shelly Marble and Niya Beverley took fouls. We took the first two a little quicker than I would've liked, but it got them out of their rhythm. When they executed the last play we were able to keep it out of (Yacine) Diop's hands.

"I think beginning to end we were outstanding on the boards and that put us in a position to be able to win.

"It's part of the maturity process, learning how to win on the road. You've got to get through some tough times, maybe some calls that don't go your way. You get bumped a little bit and you've got to be able to find away. I'm proud of our group."

-Head Coach Jonathan Tsipis

Turning Point

Wisconsin led by 10 points (53-43) going into the fourth quarter, but an 11-0 Pitt scoring run gave them a 57-55 lead with 3:44 left to play. Courtney Fredrickson ended the Badgers scoring drought with a 3-point shot, putting UW back in front. Both teams failed to score in the final 2:45 of the game, giving Wisconsin the 58-57 victory on the road.