MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin women's basketball team opened up its Big Ten season against No. 4 Iowa, and lost by a final score of 87-65 on Sunday, Dec. 10 inside the Kohl Center. 

The Badgers came out of the locker room on a mission, ready to embrace the moment and take on one of the most formidable opponents in collegiate women's basketball. Iowa controlled the tip, but the Badgers struck first, with Serah Williams laying in a bucket at the rim. A quick Hawkeyes turnover was converted into an easy Ronnie Porter drive down the lane, and with that, the Badgers started up, 4-0. The offense continued on steadily, with another Williams two as well as a Brooke Schramek dagger from dagger behind the arc. The Badgers shot 50% in the first quarter, as well as 66.7% from three, to finish off the first ten minutes tied at 21. 

Williams stepped into quarter two with the same fire she'd had in the first, and drained two more layups, including a three-point play following an AND1. Unfortunately, the sophomore got into some early foul trouble, and with 7:36 on the clock, was forced to exit the half. This did not put a halt to the Badger offense, however, with Porter draining a clutch three to notch her seventh point of the game. As the end of the half drew near, Iowa went on a 10-4 run, leaving the Badgers trailing 43-33 at half.

Badgers emerged into the second half ready to close the gap, and a quick layup from Schramek got the offense rolling. A couple of buckets from Sania Copeland and Halle Douglass cut the Hawkeyes lead to six, but Williams collected her fourth foul, limiting her offensive capabilities for the second-straight quarter. D'Yanis Jimenez scored five-straight points, but the Badgers trailed 70-51 at half. The final ten minutes was a grind for the Badgers, who never failed to stop their gritty play. They were outmatched in scoring, 17-14 in the last quarter, and lost the game, 87-65. 

Wisconsin shot 39.3% (24-61) from the field range, and 20.0% (4-20) from 3-point range. The Badgers shot 72.2% (13-18)  from the free-throw line. The team finished with 36 rebounds and 13 assists.

Iowa went 50.0% (33-66) from field-goal range, including 40.9% (9-22)  from behind the arc. The Hawkeyes were 70.6% (12-17)  from the free-throw line. Iowa was led in scoring by Caitlin Clark, who notched 28 points (11-19, 4-8 3FG, 2-2 FT) and added nine rounds and five assists. 

Notes to know

• The Badgers set an attendance record of 14,252, which ranks seventh all-time in the Kohl Center. 

• Serah Williams collected 15 points and eight rebounds against the Hawkeyes. 

• Ronnie Porter tied her career-high in points with 17. 

Up next

Wisconsin travels to St. Paul, Minn. to face St. Thomas on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. inside Schoenecker Arena. The game can be streamed on the Summit League Network or listened to on 1070 WTSO-AM.