MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin women's basketball team beat Eastern Illinois, 76-64, Thursday, Dec. 21 inside the Kohl Center. 

In a game where Serah Williams was unavailable, the Badgers dug deep into their lineup and put on a relentless performance against the Panthers. D'Yanis Jimenez put on a career-performance, notching her first double-double and finishing with a team-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Brooke Schramek really shined in the absence of Williams, showing her versatility at the post and leading the Badgers with 18 points, a season-high for the senior.

Jimenez got the Badgers scoring going in the first with a driving layup, and was followed by a three-pointer from Sania Copeland, who dropped two this quarter. With Serah Williams out of commission, the Badgers went to their bench early on, with Leena Patibandla and Lily Krahn both seeing action in the first 10 minutes. The Panthers and Badgers battled it out in a close quarter, with UW trailing 18-17 at its conclusion.

In the second quarter, the Badger's scoring got underway quickly with a wide-open three from Natalie Leuzinger, and stayed strong as the team went on a 6-0 just a couple minutes later to take a 28-23 lead. Leuzinger and Ronnie Porter carried the Badgers in quarter two with seven points apiece, but the Panthers' offense was relentless. They outscored the Badgers 21-18 in this period, leaving UW trailing 39-35 heading into the half. 

Wisconsin's scoring really came alive straight out of the locker room, and the team looked hungry to take the lead. Within just two minutes, the Badgers found themselves on top of the Panthers, 40-39, following Copeland's third three-pointer of the contest. UW maintained a consistent lead for the final 7:59 of the quarter, and saw contributions from five different players, including Halle Douglass who dropped her second of the season. The Panthers trimmed the lead down a bit near the end with a last second three, but Wisconsin headed into the final 10 minutes up 58-56.

Heading into the fourth, Wisconsin looked to find some separation and assert a win over Eastern Illinois. The Badgers were playing with a purpose and as the Panthers' offense began to fade away, they took full advantage. Jimenez earned her first-career double-double as she recorded her 10th rebound to go along with 17 points. UW took its largest lead of the night, 65-56, which was topped off with Copeland's fourth three, tying a career-high for the sophomore. Wisconsin finished off its non-conference schedule with a 76-64 victory.

Wisconsin shot 44.1% (26-59) from the field range, and 41.2% (7-17) from 3-point range. The Badgers shot 81.0% (17-21)  from the free-throw line. The team finished with 36 rebounds and 14 assists. UW led in points off turnovers (23-10), points in the paint (34-28) and in fast-break points (20-7).

Eastern Illinois went 46.4% (26-56) from field-goal range, including 44.4% (8-18) from behind the arc. The Panthers  were 44.4% (4-9)  from the free-throw line. The team was led in scoring by Macy McGlone, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Notes to know

• D'Yanis Jimenez notched her first-career double-double, with 19 points and 11 rebounds. 

• Brooke Schramek scored a season-high 18 points. 

• Five Badgers scored in double-digits.

• Wisconsin led in points off turnovers (23-10), points in the paint (34-28) and in fast-break points (20-7).

Up next

Wisconsin will play its second Big Ten game of the season as it takes on Purdue on Sat, Dec. 30 inside the Kohl Center at 5 p.m. The game can be streamed on BTN or listened to on 1070 WTSO-AM.