Wisconsin snapped its five game losing streak as they dominated Marquette, 89-64, Saturday in Madison. The Badgers led 37-34 at half. UW broke the game open in the second half, outscoring the Golden Eagles 52-30 and led by 28 at one point in the second half.
“I’m very proud of the team,” said UW head coach Bobbie Kelsey. “We finally clicked on offense, the assists were great and the turnovers were down. I’m happy that these kids finally got some confidence. They needed it. The coaches needed it. Everybody needed it.”
UW had four players in double figures, which is a very good sign due to the fact senior forward Michala Johnson will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in the loss to Miami last Thursday.
UW will need to have lots of production from many people going forward to fill the void of Johnson being out.
“Everybody is capable on our team,” said Kelsey. “You saw today if we run our offense the proper way and read things correctly, we’re a good team.”
“We’re not going to depend on one player. All these players are capable because they’re Division I, Power Five conference players. If we do what we are supposed to do, we are a good team.”
“It’s good to see everybody step up, especially the younger players,” said senior forward Cassie Rochel.
For the Badgers, junior guard Dakota Whyte tied her career-high with 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Jacki Gulczynski had 17 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and was 3-5 from beyond the arc.
Junior guard Nicole Bauman netted 16 points, six assists and five rebounds, and freshman guard Cayla McMorris had 17 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Badgers looked like a very different team today as they shot 63.6 percent from the field and 64 percent from beyond the arc, hitting nine 3-pointers in the game. UW also had 13 blocks in the game.
“I think the difference today was that we made our shots, and that’s something we’ve really been struggling with in the past,” Gulczynski said. “We got some of our outside shooting going, and had a couple moments where Nicole hit a three, Tessa hit a three, and then we got defensive stops, which is how you build a lead, which is something we need to continue to do.”
UW also committed only nine turnovers, which is a major improvement from the last few games.
Senior forward Apiew Ojulu was the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles, finishing with 13 points and five rebounds.
Senior guard Arleisha Morse had 11 points and eight rebounds, and senior center Lauren Tibbs had 10 points and six assists for Marquette.
UW hopes to continue its great offensive performance against Florida in Gainesville, Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.
