MADISON, Wis. — Earning back-to-back Sunday Big Ten Conference wins, the Wisconsin women's basketball team overcame Penn State, 69-57, at home on Sunday.

After winning at Rutgers last Sunday, the Badgers (5-13, 2-6 B1G) put on a show with one of their best overall performances of the season at the Kohl Center. Shooting 24-54 (44.4%) from the field and tying a season high with 10 3-pointers (10-22), Wisconsin saw huge contributions from guards Katie Nelson and Julie Pospisilova, who tallied 24 and 23 points, respectively.

Nelson scored a UW career best, hitting 7-10 (70%) from the field, including 4-6 (66.7%) from 3-point range, while Pospisilova hit 9-17 (52.9%) from field-goal range. Brooke Schramek added 13 points and a career-high eight rebounds as the trio combined for 60 of Wisconsin's 69 points.

Penn State (9-8, 3-4) shot 42% (21-50) from the field but just 37.5% (6-16) from 3-point range. The Lady Lions were led by Makenna Marisa with a game-high 26 points.

The Badgers spread the wealth on offense, dishing off 16 assists behind a career-high six from Halle Douglass.

Wisconsin's defense was also on fire, forcing 23 Lady Lion turnovers with 11 steals. Sydney Hilliard led the Badgers with four takeaways while Nelson added three steals. UW had 17 turnovers and was edged in rebounds, 31-30.

A high-energy, fast-paced Penn State full-court press looked to cause trouble for Wisconsin on offense and allowed the Nittany Lions to hold the lead through most of the first half. A 13-4 run in the first five minutes of the second quarter – including back-to-back 3 pointers from Nelson – gave the Badgers their first lead of the game, 22-21 with 6:35 to play in the half. Wisconsin led by three (24-21) with 5:27 remaining but Penn State went on a 10-3 run over the second half of the quarter to lead 31-27 at the half.

The third period was all Badgers with Wisconsin outscoring Penn State, 25-12, in the third frame, including 10 points from Nelson and seven points from Pospisilova. Schramek  and two momentum shifting three-pointers from sophomore guard Brooke Schramek, who complete the Wisconsin scoring trio with 13 points on the day.

Penn State led 39-35 with 5:44 on the clock before a 9-0 run, including five points from Nelson, put Wisconsin up 44-39 with 3:10 to go. UW hit six 3-pointers in the period, including shots from Schramek and Nelson over the last minute of play, and forced seven Penn State turnovers to lead 52-43 after the end of three.

The Badgers led 59-49 with 6:43 to play before Penn State went on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 59-54 with 4:25 on the clock. Second-chance buckets by Nelson and junior Sydney Hilliard put Wisconsin up 63-54 with 2:53 remaining as the Lady Lions were not able to close the gap.

Lacing a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line over the final 46 seconds to seal the victory, the Badgers ended shooting 84.6% (11-13) from the line for the game.

Straight from the court

Head Coach Marisa Moseley
"I think we did an excellent job executing tonight against the zone to start and even when they went man, we were able to get the shots that we wanted. Super proud of our kids' effort. Julie (Pospisilova) and Katie (Nelson) in particular were huge but all five players that were on the court at any given time stayed together. There was poise, execution and I can't say enough about this team. We talked about our growth and we planted seeds in the summer and we're starting to see some of those seeds bloom.

"(The atmosphere) was incredible. I think this was by far the biggest crowd we've had since I've been here. I'm excited for it to continue to grow and for them to see that Wisconsin women's basketball is heading in the right direction. It is also particularly exciting when it is on alumni weekend. We had several alums come back and we want them to know how much we value them and that we stand on their shoulders. We're all playing for something bigger than ourselves. The Badger faithful fans, our alums and our players … it was just an incredible atmosphere. We had some recruits here so for them to see that this is just a taste of what it can become in the future I'm really proud of that."

Notes to know

• The Badgers put up 69 points, their most since scoring 70 vs. Illinois State on Dec. 16. Wisconsin also tied a season-high with 10 3-pointers and recorded its most rebounds (30) since pulling down 30 at Illinois on Jan. 9.
• The Badgers equaled their 2020-21 overall win total with five victories and their Big Ten win total with two. It was also Wisconsin's fourth double-figure victory this season.
• Grad student Katie Nelson scored a UW career-high 24 points, shooting 7-10 (70%) from the field, including 4-6 (66.7%) from 3-point range. The guard was also a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line while adding six rebounds, three assists and three steals, playing all 40 minutes.
• Junior Julie Pospisilova scored a season-high 23 points, shooting 9-17 (52.9%) from the field. She also added two rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Sophomore Brooke Schramek also scored in double figures, adding 13 points, making a career best three 3-pointers. She also added a career-high eight rebounds and tied her career high with two steals.
• Nelson, Pospsilova and Schramek scored 60 of the Badgers' 69 points today.
• Sophomore Halle Douglass dished off a career-high five assists.
• Wisconsin held Penn State to just 57 points, more than 15 points below its season average of 72.5 points per game. The Badgers had 11 steals, forcing 23 Lady Lion turnovers.

Up next

Wisconsin travels to Nebraska (13-4, 2-4) to take on the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Thursday at 8 p.m. The games airs live on the Big Ten Network.