MADISON, Wis. – "It wasn't a lack of effort. I felt like our kids competed," head coach Jonathan Tsipis said. "It's very different from when we played at Milwaukee last year. But they've got to be able to put forth that type of effort with the basketball IQ of what's working and what's not together for two halves.

Coach Tsipis nailed it on the head describing an all-out battle between in-state rivals Milwaukee Panthers and Wisconsin women's basketball. The Badgers fell to the Panthers after a close clash, 67-64.

"I think our team has really improved," Tsipis continued. "The statistics don't lie. I think the fight is better. We're going to continue to build this program day by day."

Wisconsin put together a 20-15 third quarter that was backed up by a defense that caused four third quarter turnovers for Milwaukee. The Badgers also found some offense, briefly taking the lead at the 3:23 mark 38-37, before the Panthers snatched it back for a two-point advantage (45-43) entering the final quarter of play. 

It was a back-and-forth showdown in the fourth quarter as the Badgers took the lead back, getting a backdoor layup from Suzanne Gilreath to go up 61-59 with 2:00 remaining.

Milwaukee converted on two free-throw attempts and got a quick bucket to go up 63-61 with 57 seconds to play. The Badgers missed two shots and were forced to foul as the Panthers made 1-of-2 from the line to go up 64-61 with 25 seconds remaining. Wisconsin ran out of time, falling to the Panthers.

The rivalry game began with few shots finding their mark, as Wisconsin completed only 26.7 percent (4-15) of its shots to Milwaukee's 30.8 percent (4-12) as UW was down 13-12 at the end of the first quarter.

The Badgers' woes from the field continued in the second quarter, shooting 29.4 percent (5-17) from the field and failed to hold onto the ball, committing four turnovers in the quarter. Milwaukee took advantage, outscoring the Badgers 17-11 in the period to lead 30-23 at the half.

Wisconsin was led by freshman Niya Beverley who put up 13 points while adding a career-high seven rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Kendra Van Leeuwen added 12 points while sophomore Courtney Fredrickson added 11 points and recorded her third career double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore Suzanne Gilreath chipped in 10 points.

The Badgers shot 35.7 percent (25-70) from the field while Milwaukee hit 37.9 percent (22-58). The Panthers outrebounded Wisconsin 43-40 but UW had only 10 turnovers while forcing 16 giveaways by UWM.  

Straight from the Court

Head coach Jonathan Tsipis
"I thought the game was a game is of two halves. In the first half, we settled a lot and I thought Milwaukee was on the attack. They were able to get to the line 11 times. We got there twice. I thought we did a good job after giving the initial basket up early to start the second half. We did two things. We put ourselves in a position where we were better on the glass." 

"I think the microcosm with the whole game is the last two minutes. When we're up two, we have to have the defensive rebound. We give up an offensive rebound, we allow them to get to the free-throw line to tie the game, and then on the other end we come down and we don't get the best shot." 

"We're the team that people will say 'Wisconsin women's basketball" is alive at Madison and they're going to fight and scrap and play to the end. Sometimes maybe just the clock will run out. I'm proud of our group. We just have a lot of small things that we have to make sure you don't let happen twice."

Freshman Niya Beverley
On her aggressiveness offensively in the second-half:
"I just knew that we wanted to attack the basket because they were playing off. I definitely wanted to attack—take advantage of that—so I could get myself or my teammates a shot."

Sophomore Kendra Van Leeuwen
On the team's second-half performance:
"I think, definitely, you could see our fight in the second half, but we can make that a full game. We were there in the first half, but we really zoned-in in the second half. I think moving forward, we can take energy, that pride we feel playing in the Kohl Center, in playing with the 'W' on our chests, and we can take that throughout the whole game."
 

Notables

• Sophomore Courtney Fredrickson recorded her third career double-double and her second of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Freshman Niya Beverley recorded a career-high seven rebounds. The 5-7 guard also added 13 points, just one off her career best. Beverley took a career-best 14 field goal attempts, including two from 3-point range. She also made her first career 3-pointer.
• Milwaukee had an opponent season-high 43 rebounds. The previous high with 39 boards at Butler.
• The Badgers had only 10 turnovers, tying for the second fewest in a game this season.
• Wisconsin played without leading scorer Cayla McMorris, who missed the game for personal reasons.

Turning Point

In arguably the most emotional quarter of the season, it would come down to the final two minutes to decide the Badgers fate. Wisconsin tied the game up with a beautiful back door layup from Suzanne Gilreath to put the Badgers up at the two-minute mark (61-59).
Wisconsin never scored again until in the dwindling seconds when Courtney Fredrickson made a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Milwaukee converted 6-of-8 free throws over the last two minutes and made a baseline layup to seal the win.
 

Up Next

Wisconsin has nearly two weeks off due to final exams and the holidays before opening Big Ten Conference play Dec. 28. The Badgers take on No. 25 Iowa at 7 p.m. in the Kohl Center.