With their last home game of the season, the Wisconsin Badgers (4-12 Big Ten, 8-18 Overall), fell 86-83 to the Northwestern Wildcats (11-5 Big Ten, 21-6 Overall) in thrilling overtime fashion.
Despite leading by 15 points and never losing the lead in the second half, the Badgers could not pull out of the Kohl Center with a win.
Throughout the entirety of the game, the Badgers seemed in control and were approaching a quality win, but with 0.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Northwestern tied the game up at 70 to force overtime.
In the extra period, the Wildcats pulled away quickly and led 80-72 with just a minute remaining. However, Wisconsin battled back, cutting the score to 84-82 with just 26 seconds remaining.
Senior AnnMarie Brown had an opportunity to win the game with a layup, but her shot rimmed out of the basket and Wisconsin ended up losing in a dramatic manner.
“I feel so bad for AnnMarie because she can do so much and to miss that shot, which she makes all the time and she does not miss a lot of layups around the basket,” said head coach Bobbie Kelsey.
While the loss does sting, the senior group of Brown, Cassie Rochel and Jacki Gulczynski all had quality days as they produced eight, 12 and 19 points respectively.
Turnover woes continued to plague the Badgers as they turned the ball over 23 times, compared to Northwestern’s 10 mishaps. Of the Badgers’ 23 turnovers, 18 were classified as steals from the other team, showing that ball security and passing the ball became major issues.
Offensively, the Badgers excelled once again, producing 83 points and having five players score more than nine points. Junior guard Nicole Bauman led the scoring column as she finished with a game-high 22 points and four 3-pointers.
Although the Badgers finished their season with a loss at home, many fans continued to show their support and devotion to the team.
“We had a nice crowd, and it’s nice to see them keep supporting us even though we can’t pull out these games,” Kelsey said.
The loss extends Wisconsin’s losing streak to five and keeps the Badgers near the bottom of the Big Ten conference standings. This Thursday the Badgers will travel to Iowa City to face the No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes. Two weeks ago, Wisconsin lost to Iowa 87-75 in an offensive shootout.
