MADISON, Wis. – A hot start propelled the Wisconsin women's basketball team to its first Big Ten Conference win of the season 82-56 over Nebraska at the Kohl Center Thursday night.
 
The Badgers (6-18, 1-10) shot 50 percent (33-66) from the field while holding Nebraska (5-19, 1-11) to a .302 field goal percentage (19-63).
 
A Marsha Howard jump shot 2:40 into the first quarter keyed a 7-0 Badger run, giving Wisconsin a lead they would never relinquish. With 2:55 left in the first quarter, Malayna Johnson worked the post with the shot clock winding down, extending the Badgers' lead to 10 (17-7). A Suzanne Gilreath three with 1:27 to play capped of the scoring in the first period, widening the gap to 22-8.
 
Nebraska outscored the Badgers 15-20 in the second quarter, but Wisconsin still led 37-28 at the break.
 
The Badgers responded after halftime, going on a 6-0 run to lead 43-28 less than two minutes into the third quarter. UW shot 62.5 percent (10-16) in the third period and going 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
 
The whole team got involved in the fourth quarter, with 14 different Badgers checking into the game. Wisconsin made five of their eight free throws in the frame, ultimately sending the Huskers back to Lincoln with a 26-point loss.
 
You should note

• Freshman Courtney Fredrickson picked up her first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
• Redshirt senior Avyanna Young added 13 points and 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
• Wisconsin had two players with double-doubles in the same game since Dakota Whyte and Cassie Rochel collected a pair at Minnesota on Feb. 11, 2015.
• UW had five players score in double figures for the first time since their victory vs. Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 8. In addition to Fredrickson and Young, Cayla McMorris added 13 points, Gilreath 12, and Howard 10.
• The Badgers outrebounded the Huskers 54-29, UW's largest rebounding advantage of the season.
• Freshman Suzanne Gilreath has scored at least one 3-pointer in 17 straight games, including four against the Huskers. She leads the Badgers with 49 triples on the season.
• The Badgers had the fewest turnovers since they faced Michigan on Jan. 1, giving the ball up only 15 times tonight.
• Wisconsin downed Nebraska for the first time since the Huskers joined the Big Ten prior to the 2011-12 season.

 
They said it
 
"I thought we stayed in attack mode. We didn't allow them to get to the rim or the free-throw line. Our transition game was really good too. I think you could see our group gaining confidence because we were rebounding at a high level. The team felt it too. There was never a part in the game when our play went up and down."

• Head Coach Jonathan Tsipis

 
"It's a shift to get us to know that we can win any game if we keep playing like this. If we play like we played today, we can beat anybody."

• Redshirt senior Avyanna Young

 
"The three to end the first half is something that can be deflating and I thought our group did a really good job to start the second half, not just because we went 6-0 and forced them to call a timeout, but just an attack mentality. Anytime we felt like Nebraska made a run in the second half, we came down and got a really good shot and as I talk to the group, I was really proud."

• Head Coach Jonathan Tsipis

 
What's next
Up next for the Badgers is a road trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a Sunday showdown with No. 21/22 Michigan. The game will be televised live at 1 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.