The Wisconsin women’s basketball team gets yet another chance in less than a week to take down an in-state rival Tuesday, as the Badgers head to Milwaukee yet again to square off against Marquette.
The Badgers took down UW-Milwaukee 68-51 in Milwaukee last Friday in their first game of the regular season. Junior guard Taylor Wurtz led the Badgesr with 17 points and 15 rebounds in that game.
After suffering an 80-63 loss to Oral Roberts Sunday at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin looks to regain their confidence by beating Marquette and establishing its dominance of in-state rivals.
“It gives us an opportunity to brag a little bit,” first-year Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey said of potentially beating Marquette. “It’s nice to say you’re the big dog in the state.”
The Badgers were flustered in their two games over the weekend largely because of turnovers. The young Wisconsin team committed a Kohl Center record 31 turnovers in the loss to Oral Roberts. The Badgers were leading 32-30 with less than five minutes left in the first half, but allowed Oral Roberts to take an 11-2 run to conclude the half.
“Oral Roberts is a great team,” Kelsey said. “But we didn’t help ourselves with the turnovers. It was the decision-making by us and we didn’t have to have that many turnovers. We knew it would be a tough game.”
Despite the loss Sunday, Wurtz stood out during the game. The 6-foot junior had 15 points and hauled in 15 rebounds despite playing in the guard position.
“I’ve not coached a guard, and I’ve been a lot of places, 15 rebounds, that’s pretty impressive,” Kelsey said.
The inexperienced Badgers squad will have to bank on Wurtz, not just for rebounds and her scoring ability, but also for her leadership role throughout the season, Kelsey said.
“We need some other folks getting some boards as well and doing the things [Wurtz] is doing,” Kelsey said. “But they’re all working hard. She’s definitely a leader in that sense for us.”
The Golden Eagles are led by junior forward Sarina Simmons, who had 12 points and 19 rebounds in Marquette’s season-opening win against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. The Badgers fell to the Golden Eagles last year at the Kohl Center, but still lead the all-time series 10-8.
“Marquette is a very experienced team,” Kelsey said. “They’re young this year but they’re going to be tough and we have to go in their place and try to steal one because we let one go here.”
Wisconsin will look to do what it has done best this season against Marquette: rebounding. The Badgers have dominated the boards so far in the young season—outrebounding opponents 96-50 in their two games. Despite losing by 17 to Oral Roberts, the Badgers outrebounded them by 22.
Wisconsin has also been troubled by its point guard play. Kelsey thinks the team lacks a true floor general, but that senior Jade Davis and sophomore Morgan Paige have stepped up to share the role together.
“We have some good [point guards] coming in,” Kelsey said. “But we’re not going to wait until next year, we have to get it done now.”
