In a battle against their third-straight top-25 opponent, the Badgers could not pull out a victory against Purdue and left West Lafayette Sunday afternoon with a loss, marking their sixth-consecutive defeat.
Wisconsin (3-12 Big Ten, 10-17 overall) was hopeful going into the game after two strong showings in just over a week, first at No. 11 Penn State then at the Kohl Center Thursday against No. 23 Michigan State.
The team couldn’t make the last away game of the season count, however, ultimately falling to the Boilermakers 72-54.
Purdue established the lead early, leaving the Badgers trailing 10-3 four minutes into the game. Wisconsin put up a fight with an 11-2 run a few minutes later, bringing them within two points of Purdue with just over nine minutes left in the first half.
The game remained close for the rest of the half, though the Badgers never managed to take the lead despite a layup by senior guard Taylor Wurtz that tied the game at 23 with 1:41 left to play. Purdue still managed to maintain a 29-25 lead going into the second half.
The Badgers cut the Boilermaker’s four-point lead down to just two early in the second half, but could not stop the team’s offensive momentum. Purdue went on a high-octane 21-3 run, putting them a game-high 20 points over the Badgers.
Wisconsin returned with a 20-8 run of its own shortly after, cutting Purdue’s lead to only eight points. The Badgers, however, failed to make a field goal for the last seven minutes of the game, their only points coming from two free throws by Wurtz and sophomore guard Nicole Bauman.
Overall, the Badgers shot 33.9 percent from the field, compared to Purdue’s 44.3 percent. Two Badgers managed to score in double digits, junior forward Michala Johnson and Wurtz, who finished the game with a double-double, her eighth of the season.
The Badgers return to the Kohl Center March 2 for the final game of the season against Northwestern, and will honor seniors Morgan Paige, Taylor Wurtz and Daria Kryuchkova in a ceremony after the game.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
