The Badgers (1-0 overall) started the season strong at home with a 76-41 win over the Winthrop Eagles, and they look to continue their success when they hit the road to take on the UW-Milwaukee Panthers (0-1) on Tuesday.
Senior forward Marsha Howard was one of three Badgers with a double-double for Wisconsin as she got 18 points and 14 rebounds against the Eagles. Also joining her was junior forward Courtney Fredrickson who recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds and freshman forward Imani Lewis who put up 10 points and 11 rebounds.
This win over Winthrop should prove a significant source of momentum for the Badgers as they head into their first away game of the season at the Klotsche Center.
Wisconsin’s latest victory saw a handful of historical milestones for the program. Last Thursday’s game was the first time since 1996 that three Badgers recorded double-doubles. In addition, Wisconsin snagged 71 rebounds, which ranked second on its single-game record list.
In terms of the upcoming match up, the Milwaukee Panthers did not start their season off on the same note as the Badgers, so they will be looking for redemption. The Panthers lost a close home opener, falling to the Indiana Hoosiers 68-66. It was a back-and-forth game with 14 lead chances, and it came down to the final seconds when the Panthers were unable to convert in the final seconds of the game to win.
While the Panthers did not get the outcome they hoped for, they were led by some strong performances. Junior guard Jamie Reit tied her career high of 21 points, leading the team’s offense for the night. The Milwaukee played well against a strong-team like Indiana which is promising because it recently graduated one of its most decorated classes in program history last season.
The Panthers brought in many new faces to its program this year, and a few have already made their mark on the season. Freshman forward Megan Walstad put up 11 points and 7 rebounds during her first official game for Milwaukee. Freshman guard Sydney Levy also demonstrated her skills during Milwaukee’s exhibition game against Parkside when she sunk a couple of three-pointers and finished with 14 points.
Looking at Tuesday, although the Panthers have lost a number of talented players due to graduation, many of their freshman have already stepped up to fill some vacant roles. When the two teams met at the beginning of last season, Milwaukee defeated Wisconsin 67-64. Reit led the Panthers again in that game with 14 points.
The Badgers will be leaning on their experience compared to the Panthers as most of their key players from last year returned. While Milwaukee has had good contributions from their freshman, UW will hope to get two wins in a row to start the season.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday.
