Nicole Bauman is ready to return home. After scoring 10 points in the Wisconsin Badgers’ (3-11 Big Ten, 7-17 overall) loss to the Michigan Wolverines Thursday evening, Bauman struggled yet again Sunday afternoon, scoring just eight points in their 67-57 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers (9-5, 17-9).
Bauman hit her last basket as time expired in the first quarter and, while the Badgers did not necessarily miss Bauman’s offensive production in the second period, they struggled in the second half, getting outscored by 16 points over the game’s final 20 minutes.
For the third-straight game the Badgers went into the break with a lead, but yet again were unable to close the deal.
While the Badgers and Hoosiers were tied at 16 after the first period, Wisconsin opened a lead in the second period, holding Indiana to just seven points. The Badgers switched into their 2-3 zone for almost all of the second quarter and made the normally fast-paced Hoosiers offense slow down.
Offensively, though, the Badgers’ slow and deliberate system was unable to stretch their lead to double-digits.
Almost immediately upon the teams’ return to the floor, Hoosier sophomore guard Tyra Buss and her crafty teammates sped up pace on both ends of the floor and tied the game just before the halfway point of the third period. Buss scored the Hoosiers’ first eight points of the third quarter and finished the game with 24 points and nine rebounds.
The Hoosiers didn’t look back from their early third-quarter run and emerged as the more aggressive team throughout the final 20 minutes of the game. Indiana is the only school yet to have a home loss in either men’s or women’s basketball.
Michala Johnson recorded her third consecutive double-double, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. But Johnson missed two free throws with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter that would have cut the Hoosier lead to four points.
Senior guard Dakota Whyte added 16 points and junior forward Avyanna Young tallied 10 points and hauled in seven rebounds for Wisconsin, but the three aforementioned players were the only Badgers to score in double figures.
Bauman and the rest of the Badger seniors have only four games left in their final season in Madison, so look for them to come out aggressive and focused in their final stretch.
The Badgers return home this week for two consecutive games at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin plays Illinois Wednesday evening and concludes its home slate with a date against Northwestern Saturday afternoon.
