The Badgers dropped their second straight game of the season, losing to Drake 89-77. Even though Drake (1-3) was ahead for most of the game, the Badgers (1-2) only trailed the Bulldogs 43-38 at halftime.
UW cut the lead to three at the start of the first half, but Drake pulled away later in the half, extending their lead to 16 near the end of the game.
UW had a 55.7 percent field-goal percentage for the game and shot the ball even better in the second half at 62.1 percent.
However, the Badgers struggled from three-point range and shot only 25 percent in the game. UW also struggled to get to the free throw line and only had a 71.4 free throw percentage.
In comparison, Drake shot 53 percent from the field, but shot 47.4 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent from the line.
Redshirt senior forward Michala Johnson led the Badgers in scoring with 17 points along with seven rebounds and four blocks. Freshman guard Cayla McMorris had 16 points, senior forward Jacki Gulcznski had 15 points and five rebounds, and junior guard Dakota Whyte had 10 points, five rebounds and a team high six assists.
For the Bulldogs, sophomore forward Lizzy Wendell had a game high 33 points. She went 14-of-19 from the field and went 3-of-5 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Caitlin Ingle had 14 points and a game high 12 assists, and freshman forward Becca Jonas had 13 points. Freshman guard Maddy Dean also had 13 points coming of the bench.
Although the Badgers had a decent game offensively, they had 18 turnovers in the game, an error head coach Bobbie Kelsey stressed they need to commit less of if they want to win more games this season. Drake also out rebounded the Badgers 36-24.
The Badger’s next game is against South Carolina in the Junkanoo Jam Tournament in the Bahamas this Thursday at 3:15 pm. East Carolina and Syracuse will fill out the other side of the bracket.
