MADISON, Wis. — Despite holding No. 13 Michigan to more than 14 points below its season average, the Wisconsin women's basketball team fell to the Wolverines, 69-40, Thursday night in the Kohl Center.
For the third time this season, Wisconsin (3-7, 0-7 B1G) failed to have a scorer in double figures. Junior Imani Lewis led Wisconsin with nine points and also shared team-high honors with five rebounds. Freshman Kate Thompson came off the bench to tie her career best with five rebounds, one of six Badgers that came off the bench to combine for 18 points. Thompson added seven points while Sara Stapleton and Julie Pospisilova both chipped in six points.
Wisconsin shot a season-low 29.1% (16-55) from the field, including 27.8% (5-18) from 3-point range. Michigan (10-0, 5-0), which jumped out to a 20-2 lead and never looked back, shot 37.9% (25-66) from field goal range, including 37.5% (9-24) from behind the arc. The Wolverines also won the battle at the free-throw line, shooting 10-12 (83.3%) while UW went to the line just six times, making three for 50%.
The Badgers held the Big Ten's leading scorer Naz Hillmon to just six points but the forward dished off seven assists and pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Maddie Nolan led all scorers with 21 points while Akienreh Johnson added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Michigan outrebounded the Badgers 47-31 and also dished off 18 assists while tallying only 13 turnovers. The Wolverines had six steals, forcing 18 UW turnovers and scoring 14 points off giveaways.
The Wisconsin defense had five blocks, two each from Pospisilova and
Estella Moschkau, and six steals, including a career-best two from
Tara Stauffacher.
Straight from the Court:
"Obviously not the start to the game we wanted. We wanted to try to keep as many bodies around Naz Hillmon with double teams and she obviously, I'm positive that's a career high with seven assists. Our rotation was late getting out to Maddie Nolan, she got them started I thought with a couple threes. I think they're first three baskets were threes. They got one off Hailey Brown, who we know is a very dangerous 3-point shooter. I thought we fought back at the end of the first quarter but they're the best rebounding team in the league. So when you hold somebody like Naz Hillmon to six points, you have to make sure you're not letting other people hurt you.
"We've got to be more cohesive defensively. I think we have to communicate better. On the offensive end, we've got to find different ways to manufacture points. We went two and a half quarters without shooting a free throw. We've got to watch the film and see that where we can have a better opportunity and attack. We didn't draw a foul in the second quarter."
On getting better:
"We have to get better every day in practice. You've got to come in and get extra work done. When you shoot 29 percent from the field and 5-for-18 (from three), if you're not coming in outside of practice and getting extra shots in, then you're letting your teammates down. We've got to keep working each day. We as coaches need to put them in better positions and with more confidence and defensively we need to continue to grow as a unit and be able to hold people to a lower field goal percentage and finish possessions by not letting people get on the glass."
- Head coach Jonathan Tsipis
Notes to Know:
- The Badgers held Michigan to more than 14 points below its season average of 83.2 ppg. UW also held the Big Ten's leading scorer Naz Hillmon to just six points, more than 21 points below her season average of 27.7 ppg.
- Wisconsin scored a season-low 40 points, making a season-low 16 field goals and shooting a season-low 29.1% (16-55). UW also made a took season lows from the free-throw line, shooting 3-6.
- Five Badgers set or tied career highs vs. the Wolverines. Freshman Halle Douglass shot 1-3 from 3-point range, tied her career best with two made field goals, and recorded her first career steals. Graduate transfer Estella Moschkau tied her career best with two blocks. Freshman Brooke Schramek tied her career best with two assists. Sophomore Tara Stauffacher recorded a career-high two steals. Freshman Kate Thompson tied her career best with five rebounds.
- UW's leading scorer Sydney Hilliard finished with only one point, shooting 0-7 from the field and 1-2 from the free-throw line.
Up next
The Badgers remain at home as they welcome No. 9 Maryland, their fourth-straight ranked team, to the Kohl Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. The game airs live on the Big Ten Network and on U-100.9 FM radio.
