MADISON, Wis. — In the home opener against North Florida, the Wisconsin women's basketball team pulled away with a commanding 77-54 victory Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center.
Freshman Serah Williams was an undeniable talent on the court for the Badgers, notching her first-career double-double. She finished with 15 points (5-11 FG, 5-7 FT), 13 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. She logged a game-high in rebounds, and a team-high in points, tied with Maty Wilke.
Wilke has been another star for the Badgers early on, and has established herself as an indispensable part of the team. The redshirt freshman has continued to score in double digits in every game she's played in this season, accumulating 15 points (5-9 FG, 3-6 3FG, 2-2FT) against the Ospreys. She is the team's leading scorer through three games, averaging 14.7 points per contest. She also contributed three rebounds, two assists and three steals on Sunday.
Aside from their impressive scoring numbers, one of the key improvements seen in this game was the Badgers' ability to control the ball. They had 12 total turnovers, with just three coming in the second half. This can be contrasted to the game against Milwaukee where they had 16, as well as their recent loss to K-State where they collected 20.
To begin the game, the Badgers emerged from the tunnel decked out in their new black jerseys. While they were off to a slow start, giving up two early threes, Wilke eventually got the offense going with a floater. Five different Wisconsin players each drained one field goal this quarter, and this was enough to propel them to a slight 13 to 12 lead after the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter ended up being the Badgers most prolific scoring bout, as they dropped 29 points in response to the Osprey's 15. Williams and Wilke led the pack with six points each, and the Beaver Dam native scored her field goals off of two threes. The team went on a 12-3 run and held the Ospreys to a 3:23 scoring drought near the end of the quarter, giving them a 42-27 lead at half.
Heading into the third quarter, the Badgers were determined to continue to play a complete game and score the ball as well as they had in the first half. Wisconsin started off strong with Williams notching her double-double within the first four minutes of the quarter, and from there, the Badgers kept the momentum going through the game. Halle Douglass has been an excellent rebounder for the Badgers through the first three contests, and she picked up five of her nine rebounds in this quarter.
Wisconsin entered quarter four up 60-38, and was able to play more relaxed basketball in the final 10 minutes while still playing well. There were some lineup changes, which included the additions of Lily Krahn, Natalie Leuzinger, Ronnie Porter and Tessa Towers late in the game. Leuzinger came out ready to strengthen the Badgers lead, and recorded back-to-back field goals, including a three pointer, in her four minutes played. The Badgers held their largest lead of the night in the fourth quarter going up by 26 points with 7:30 remaining, and they emerged the clear victors after the clock expired.
Wisconsin shot 44.3% (27-61) from the field, including 28.0% (7-25) from 3-point range. The Badgers also shot 84.2% (16-19) from the free-throw line, their highest mark of the year thus far.
North Florida went 32.3% (21-65) from field-goal range, including 34.6% (9-26) from three and 37.5% (3-8) from the free-throw line. Their team leader in scoring was Lyric Swann, who recorded 16 points (6-12 FG, 4-6 3FG) to go along with five rebounds. Her sister, Jaelyn Swann, was tied for second on the team in scoring, contributing eight points (3-13 FG, 2-9 FG). All eleven players on the Ospreys roster made it onto the court against the Badgers, with all but one player logging more than 12 minutes played.
Straight from the Court
"[Williams] just crashed the boards extremely hard. To have six offensive rebounds, to me, that's something that we had talked about and had really harped on. We set out roles and goals and one of the things was for her to be able to average a double-double which I think is very doable for her. For her to start that off tonight, I think the sky's the limit for her."
Freshman forward Serah Williams
"I gained the trust of my teammates and the coaches very early, showing what I can do in the post. I think just building off that and using their trust, showing them I can do this and not giving them any doubt is what I've really tried to come in and show so that I can make an impact on the team.
Notes to know
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Serah Williams is the first player on the Badgers to finish with a double-double in the 2022-23 season. She was able to record it within the first five minutes of the third quarter.
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Wisconsin held its highest lead of the season with 26 points in the fourth quarter.
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The Badgers' 12 turnovers is the least they have had in a game this season.
Up next
Wisconsin is back in the Kohl Center Wednesday, Nov. 16 where they will take on Bradley. Tip time is 6:30 p.m. and the game will air live on BTN+.
