It was a hero's homecoming for junior guard Alyssa Karel. The St. Paul, Minn., native led the Wisconsin women's basketball team to a much-needed 76-74 victory against the Minnesota Gophers Thursday night, grabbing a steal and then scoring the winning basket with just five seconds left in double overtime.
The game was the first overtime experience for Wisconsin all season, and the 74 points the Gophers put up against the Wisconsin defense were the most allowed this year.
Not surprising, with such a high score, four Badgers found themselves with double-figure scoring on the night. Senior guard Rae Lin D'Alie led the team as she put up season-best numbers, scoring 20 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Junior forward Lin Zastrow scored 12 points, senior guard Teah Gant put up 11, and the hero of the night, Alyssa Karel, scored 18 to round out Wisconsin's solid offensive night.
The Gophers also featured four different players scoring in double figures, with sophomore guard Kiara Buford leading the team at 17. Additionally, senior guard Brittany McCoy ended the night with 16 points for Minnesota.
The Badgers opened the night strong, jumping out to a 16-4 lead with 10:38 left in the first half. Both teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, as Wisconsin went into halftime leading 27-19.
The teams continued to battle throughout the second half, with the Gophers edging ever-closer as time wore down. Minnesota never led throughout regulation, but with one second left, junior guard China Antoine made a contested 3-point shot for the Gophers to force extra time.
The Gophers grabbed their first lead of the game in the first overtime period, but Wisconsin had some heroics of their own. With less than 14 seconds left in overtime, sophomore forward Anya Covington hit a shot to tie the game. Minnesota was unable to score on their next possession, and the game went to a second extra period.
With 24 seconds left in the second overtime period, Karel sunk one of two free throws to tie the contest at 74. However, with the Gophers looking to set up the winning shot, Karel stole the ball and drove for the winning basket.
Wisconsin shot 42 percent from the floor on the night, while holding Minnesota to just 32 percent shooting. Although Wisconsin had an unusually high 22 turnovers, the Badgers made the most of their opportunities to win their seventh conference game of the season—one more than all of last year.
Wisconsin hits the hardwood again this Sunday as they take on Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. The Boilermakers kept pace with the Badgers in the Big Ten standings, downing Illinois 53-48 Thursday evening. Sunday's contest will decide who takes sole possession of third place in the conference. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
