MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's basketball team dropped a home battle to Penn State, 69-62, Sunday afternoon in the Kohl Center.
After trailing 46-41 at the end of three quarters, the Badgers' (7-12 overall, 0-6 B1G) Suzanne Gilreath hit a 3 pointer with 7:20 to play in the game, knotting the score at 52. The Lady Lions (11-8, 2-4) went a 10-0 run to lead 62-52 with 4:12 to play. Another Gilreath 3 pointer stopped the PSU run but Wisconsin couldn't overcome the hot-shooting Lady Lions late in the game.
The Badgers shot a Big Ten Conference-season best 48.1 percent (25-52) from the field, including 47.1 percent (8-17) from 3-point range while the Lady Lions shot 42.9 percent (27-63) from the field. Penn State made an opponent season-high 12 3 pointers, shooting 42.9 percent (12-28) from deep.
Three Badgers scored in double figures with Gilreath leading the way with 17 points while senior Cayla McMorris added 15 points. Sophomore Courtney Fredrickson knocked down 11 points and finished second on the team with eight rebounds. Four Penn State players scored in double-figures behind a game-high 21 points from Amari Carter.
Penn State out rebounded Wisconsin 37-29 and won the turnover battle, 19-14. Junior Marsha Howard led all players with nine boards.
UW dished off 12 assists with Niya Beverley recording a game-high five and Kendra Van Leeuwen adding four dimes. Van Leeuwen also had a game-high four steals.
The Badgers trailed 11-2 with 6:42 to play in the first quarter, before going on a 13-9 run to end the quarter down six, 20-14. The Lady Lions narrowly outscored the Badgers 18-16 in a physical second quarter, capitalizing on a last-second jumper to lead 38-30 at halftime.
Wisconsin roared back out of the break, outscoring the Lady Lions 15-12 in the third period to make the deficit only five points (46-41) heading into the final quarter of play. Wisconsin was electric from the field in the third, making 60 percent (6-10) of its shots, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
From the court
Head coach Jonathan Tsipis
"I'm proud of our group. Coming out of halftime, the third quarter was one of our best defensive quarters of the year. When you look at what was hurting us in the first half, they're 8-for-15 from the 3-point line, and again when you hold them to 27 percent in the third quarter, I thought we did a better job in transition but what came back in the end was the inability to finish defensive possessions, rebounding the basketball. When the game was tied at 52, we gave up an open look in an out-of-bounds play. It's not getting shots to the basket.
"Our execution, as far as being able to get the right shots, was good. You put yourself at such a disadvantage when you allow another team to get extra possessions and on the other end if you turn the ball over. Credit to Penn State, I thought their pressure was really good coming out of the gate. They obviously jumped us and we had to call a timeout early. We were able to settle back in by the end of the first quarter, but again looking at this team, we just know we have to be able to do it defensively for longer periods of time and a big part of your defense is to finish a possession.
"One thing we were able to do is hold the team that's in the top 10 of the country in free throws attempted and made, to six attempts for an entire game, but we've got to be able to guard the 3-point line and finish rebounds.
"To fight and claw, compared to the first three home games, I think we have made progress but it needs to be more and we'll get back to work at it."
On playing well but not getting the result: "I think belief is a big part of what your makeup is as a team. I felt throughout the game … the team was engaged. We talked about how (Penn State) had made their run and now it was our time. That doesn't mean any certain person has to score the ball, it's about getting the right shot, putting the right people in that position, our players being in an attacking mode. They did that.
"When it's tied and it's at home, you feel that momentum. I didn't feel like it was one of those situations where we had dug back and dug back and all of the sudden you're worried that maybe the gas tank is a little bit close to empty. I thought we still were playing hard through that stretch, we just made some mistakes.
"I thought the kids didn't back down. We talked about a couple things they could do to give themselves more options. You are judged by wins and losses but progress is the most important part to me."
Notables
- For the second straight game, the Badgers scored 30 in a first half, tying the highest point total in a first half against a Big Ten opponent this season.
- The Badgers recorded their second-highest steals total of the season with 10.
- Penn State notched an opponent season high with 12 made 3-pointers.
- Suzanne Gilreath tied her season high with six made field goals and set a new season high with 14 field goal attempts. She also tied her career high with five three-point field goals and tied her season high with 12 3-point attempts.
- Kendra Van Leeuwen set a team season high with four steals
- Cayla McMorris tied a season high with seven field goals made and recorded her second-highest field goal percentage of the season at .583 (7-12).
- Courtney Fredrickson tied her season high after going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
- Penn State's Jaida Travascio-Green set an opponent season high with six made 3-point field goals.
Up Next
Wisconsin travels across the border for a clash with the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Thursday at 7 p.m., in Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The game can be streamed live on BTN Plus.
