MADISON, Wis. - Despite a late surge in the second half, the Wisconsin women's basketball team (10-4, 1-2) fell 59-50 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-1, 2-1) in a New Year's Eve game on Tuesday afternoon.

A fast start for the Golden Gophers proved to be insurmountable for UW. After Minnesota built a 23-4 lead at the first quarter break, Wisconsin threatened with scoring runs, but was not able to cut the lead into single digits until the final seconds.

In the loss, Serah Williams collected her 10th double-double of the season, totaling a team-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting and 11 rebounds. She also recorded three blocks. Ronnie Porter totaled 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Minnesota's win snapped a four-game UW winning streak in the series. 

How It Happened

Minnesota stormed out of the gates, building a 23-4 lead after the first quarter. The Badgers began to find their footing in the second period, trimming the Golden Gopher lead to 30-17 after back-to-back buckets from Serah Williams. Minnesota held a 36-19 advantage at halftime. 

Wisconsin used a seven-point run to cut the Minnesota advantage to 51-39 in the early going of the fourth quarter, but Minnesota found an offensive rhythm to keep UW out of striking distance. Wisconsin outscored Minnesota 20-10 in the final quarter, but didn't cut the defict to single-digits until the final minute. 

Up Next

The Badgers will hit the road in the new year for a game at Oregon on Jan. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be aired on the Big Ten Network.