A strong effort on the offensive end propelled the Wisconsin women’s basketball team to a 58-50 home victory over Boston College in a Big Ten/ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge matchup Wednesday night.
Junior guard Taylor Wurtz led the Badgers with 19 points and 6 rebounds and freshman guard Lacia Gorman chipped in with 9 points off the bench. The win marked head coach Bobbie Kelsey’s first win at the Kohl Center and the Badgers’ first home victory of the season.
“We won,” Kelsey proudly announced. “And we’re happy about it.”
The 3,671 people in attendance witnessed Wisconsin (3-5) setting the tone early with a 9-2 run in the first four minutes of the game, but Boston College (2-3) quickly stormed back to take a 15-13 lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half. The teams would continue to trade runs until early in the second half, when the Badgers took a 38-29 lead on a three-pointer by Wurtz. Wisconsin went on to hold a comfortable lead for the rest of the game.
The Badgers found much success on offense from both from beyond the arc and inside the paint. Gorman and Wurtz combined for seven three point baskets, which opened things up for senior forwards Ashley Thomas and Anya Covington in the paint. Wisconsin finished with 26 points in the paint and also took care of business at the free throw line, sinking 9-of-11 free throw attempts.
“I’m really proud of my teammates and Lacia stepping up and hitting the three. That just got the rhythm going,” Wurtz said. “When somebody comes off the bench and hits shots, it gives you confidence to make your shots. And then obviously, I had a lot of open looks because the post finished really strong tonight.”
Wednesday’s game could be considered a coming out party for Gorman. The freshman came off the bench and drained a trio of three-pointers. She also ran the point for a majority of the second half, confidently handling the ball even when Boston College tried employing a full-court press. She finished with no turnovers in 21 minutes of action.
“Lacia doesn’t know how good she can be,” Kelsey said. “She can handle the ball. They can’t really press her. She’s a ball-handler and she can shoot. I think this game was a good confidence game for Lacia. She can build on this, and really be that next scorer. We need another scorer besides Taylor.”
Wisconsin’s victory boosted the Big Ten’s early lead in the Women’s Challenge to five wins and two losses. In four tries, the Big Ten has never won this event, but that would change if Big Ten teams win at least two of the five games Thursday.
“We want to win this Challenge. We did our part tonight, now we need everybody else to do their part,” Kelsey said.
