Ohio State (20-3, 9-3 Big Ten) traveled to the Kohl Center to face Wisconsin (7-16, 2-9 Big Ten) on Wednesday night.
Buckeye Taylor Mikesell scored the first points of the game as she nailed a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.
Wisconsin was able to break Ohio State’s full court press and get the ball down to redshirt freshman Maty Wilke. Wilke drove to the basket with a short layup to score the first points for the Badgers.
The Badgers took their only lead of the game, at 5-4, after Julie Pospisilova led a fastbreak to the basket.
As in their previous games, Wisconsin still continued to struggle with turnovers. They allowed 10 points off turnovers in the first quarter alone. The Buckeyes defense applied pressure that Wisconsin was unable to handle.
Both teams shot over 50% from the field, but Wisconsin’s turnovers gave Ohio State more chances to put points on the board. By the end of the first quarter, the Buckeyes had mounted their biggest lead, 29-14.
Wisconsin freshman Serah Williams went up for a layup to start the second quarter but missed it. Cotie McMahon got the defensive rebound before the Buckeyes instantly turned the ball over. Wilke missed a long 3-point attempt, but Williams caught the rebound and put it back up for two.
Halfway through the second quarter, the Badgers were able to cut the lead to 10 but were unable to make the game any closer. The half ended with Avery LaBarbera making a layup as she got fouled.
At the start of the third quarter, Williams was fouled under the basket and made one of her two free throws. Wilke was there to get the offensive rebound and got fouled as she shot. Wilke was able to make both of her free throws, which cut the lead to 45-37.
Brooke Schramek got the defensive rebound on the other side and Williams made the jumper in the paint. Wisconsin had cut the lead to six.
LaBarbera hit her fourth 3-pointer of the night. Mikesell turned the ball over, but Schramek missed her layup. Williams rebounded it and then made the put-back, cutting the Badger deficit to four.
With about six minutes left in the third quarter, Schramek nailed a 3-pointer to bring Wisconsin within one point of the Buckeyes.
Combined with turnovers, fouls and an inability to continue their shooting streak, Wisconsin once again fell into a hole. By the end of the third, the Buckeyes led 70-57.
The fourth quarter was all Ohio State. They made 7-of-11 field goals and 2-of-4 of their 3-pointers. On the other hand, Wisconsin struggled — only making 4-of-14 field goals and missing all five of their attempted 3-pointers.
The Buckeyes continued to gain a larger lead and finished the game up by 23. The final score read 90-67.
Ohio State ended their three-game losing streak on the backs of Taylor Thierry and Mikesell, who finished the night with 25 and 21 points, respectively.
Williams carried Wisconsin with 23 points and shot 9-for-12 from the field. She recorded her seventh straight game in double figures and her second 20-point game in a row.
"Coach has put a lot of emphasis on offensive rebounding, so I think we did a good job today with offensive rebounding, and I think if we continue to rebound better it will help us as a team," said Williams after the game to UWBadgers.com.
The Wisconsin Badgers will travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers on Sunday afternoon. The Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to College Park to challenge No. 8 Maryland in a high-stakes Big Ten matchup.
