Following a tough, hard-fought loss against Michigan State last Saturday, the Badgers (1-2 Big Ten, 5-8 overall) looked to climb back over .500 in the Big Ten standings. Against Rutgers (2-1,11-4), however, the Badgers lacked the necessary ball movement and offensive drive to accomplish that goal. Instead, the Badgers’ poor shooting and inadequate finish ultimately lead to a 61-41 loss in New Jersey Thursday.
Coming into the game, Rutgers led the Big Ten in defense, allowing opponents only 53.5 points per game and a frustrating 35 percent from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc. Even though those numbers are exceptional, they continued to improve on their already blistering start.
The Badgers scored a season-low 41 points, which is significantly lower than their average of just under 68. Additionally, the Badgers shot only 29 percent from the field and 22 percent from behind the arc. Most shockingly, trailing by only nine at the end of the third quarter, the Badgers mustered a meager six points in the final frame.
Senior guard Dakota Whyte led the team with 14 points and used her strong driving ability to the right side of the basket to do some damage. Still, almost every other Badger struggled on the offensive end, and even senior guard and team leader Nicole Bauman, who averages 16 points and hits over 40 percent of her attempts from the field, struggled shooting, hitting only 2-of-11 shots and was 1-of-4 from 3-point range.
Even though most of the team had poor numbers compared to their season averages, the Badgers’ struggles offensively were not entirely self-inflicted. Almost the entire game, the Badgers had hands in their faces no matter if they were behind the arc or right under the basket. From start to finish, Wisconsin could not find a way to drive around Rutgers’ swarming defense. Even the previously effective ball screen game was continuously contested from opening tip to closing horn.
Still, the Badgers were not moving the ball effectively enough to get open shots. When the shot clock was winding down, players often tried to attack themselves and play isolation basketball rather than finding an open teammate. As a result, the Badgers recorded three shot clock violations and only six assists.
The Badgers’ offensive struggles overshadowed the fact that the team actually played well defensively for most of the game. UW allowed only 61 points, which is 10 lower than its average. Even though Rutgers ultimately shot 40 percent from the field, they didn’t shoot efficiently throughout the game.
Going forward in Big Ten play, the Badgers must continue to play good defense, while finding a way to move the ball around more effectively against similarly stout defenses.
