MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's basketball team dominated Wednesday night, defeating UT-Rio Grande Valley 82-54 at the Kohl Center.

The Badgers (6-4 overall) controlled UTRGV (8-3) early, shooting 50 percent (16-32 from the field) to take a 13-point lead at the half that the Vaqueros never recovered from. The Badgers had several impressive scoring streaks in the second half. A 9-0 run with 5:39 in the third quarter and an 11-1 run with 3:27 in that same quarter put the Vaqueros even further out of reach. The final dagger was an uncontested 9-0 run with 5:02 in the fourth quarter to silence UTRGV. Wisconsin never stopped firing, finishing 51.7 percent (30-58) from the field for the game.

Senior Cayla McMorris added to her already exceptional resume, recording 18 points (7-10) and five rebounds. McMorris has scored in double figures in eight of her last 10 games.

UW sophomore Courtney Fredrickson provided 13 points, three rebounds and an assist in a stellar off-the-bench performance. Fredrickson was two points shy of reaching a career high.

Sophomore Suzanne Gilreath provided 15 points and five rebounds in the victory, shooting 3-for-7 from the three-point line.

Turning Point

Wisconsin started the game strong, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc (5-10) in the first quarter. Their hot shooting combined with authority of the boards in the first half (26-17) gave them a comfortable lead that only grew throughout the game.

Notes to Know:

• Three Badgers scored double-digit points, from Suzanne Gilreath (15), Cayla McMorris (18). The third double-digit scorer was Courtney Fredrickson (13).
• Courtney Fredrickson was only one basket shy of a new career high in an efficient performance off the bench. 
• The Badgers shot 43.5 percent from the three-point line in the victory.
• Wisconsin outmuscled UTRGV on the boards, 46-30.
• UW had only two players not record a point in Wednesday night's 28-point victory.
• The Vaqueros shot 32.3 percent from the field in the game, never holding a lead.
• Marsha Howard was one point and one rebound shy of recording a double-double in the win.
• The Badgers never trailed in Wednesday night's victory giving the squad their sixth win of the season.
• Niya Beverley and Kendra Van Leeuwen were major distributors in the victory. Beverley added five assists, while Van Leeuwen had six. 

Straight from the Court

Head coach Jonathan Tsipis

 "We know Monday night is not where we are at with our program. Especially we're better defensively than we showed against Marquette and even the execution stand point; in man and zone we've grown."

 "I think you see the growth in Cayla (McMorris) game to be able to score it from deep, to be able to get to the free-throw line. I thought the offensive rebounds she had and to be able to convert off of those."

 "The two people off the bench that I thought made an impact right away: Shelly Marble got the ball to people in positions to be successful and a lot of times Courtney Fredrickson was the recipient of that."

 "Game by game. No matter who we're playing, rebounding is so important because it takes away offensive team's confidence."

On Niya Beverly's performance
"I'm on her every day to attack. This is four games in a row where she's had five or more assists. The other night there was a little desperation when she put the ball on the ground because of how she was being pressured. I know she makes Cayla's (McMorris) life easier by getting her the ball in places she can score. Niya's growth as a freshman has been huge. We count on her to stop the ball every game with her athletic ability. She's definitely getting a better grasp of the game at the next level."

Senior G Cayla McMorris

"I think as a team we knew Monday night didn't show our best and we knew we had to bounce back for this game in order to really shake that off."

On Courtney Fredrickson's play in recent games
"She's been a huge asset to the team. I always tell her to keep her confidence up and to play as hard as possible because the rest will follow. Being an underclassman, it's easy to get down on yourself. With me being older, I understand that and try to keep her confident. She's been huge for us."

Up Next

The Badgers travel to Indianapolis on Friday to take on Butler at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in a 6 p.m. C.T. matchup.