The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 67-56 Tuesday night at the Williams Arena.
Prior to the game, the Badgers sat at a 12-12 record and were 5-9 in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers had a 15-10 record and were 5-9 in the conference.
Senior Brooke Schramek, sophomore Ronnie Porter, sophomore Sania Copeland, senior Natalie Leuzinger and sophomore Serah Williams started for the Badgers.
The Gophers immediately lost the ball after winning the tip-off. A quick steal from Porter led to a layup from Williams on the opposite end of the court.
The Gophers remained sloppy throughout the first quarter, with five turnovers in 10 minutes. The Badgers were able to take advantage of Minnesota’s mishaps and score six points from turnovers.
Williams continued to show her growth in shooting behind the 3-point line and knocked one down to give Wisconsin a 15-12 lead going into the second quarter.
Minnesota tightly contested the game early in the second quarter as they consistently cut down Wisconsin’s lead.
A step-back 3-pointer from Leuzinger ignited a fire in the Badgers, and they soon created a double-digit lead.
The Badgers also defended well, holding Minnesota to zero points for the last two minutes of the quarter.
Everything went Wisconsin’s way later in the second quarter, where the Badgers outscored Minnesota 24-12. Wisconsin took a commanding 39-24 lead into halftime.
Led by Williams, Wisconsin continued to efficiently score against Minnesota throughout the third quarter. Williams alone scored 11 points in the quarter.
After collecting her own rebound on a missed shot, Williams put the ball back up and scored to give the Badgers a 19-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter.
A made 3-point shot from Minnesota’s Grace Grocholski, a Wisconsin native, helped the Golden Gophers cut at the Badgers’ lead yet again.
Minnesota went on a scoring run following Grocholski’s shot to end the quarter. Wisconsin was unable to score while Minnesota cut Wisconsin’s 19-point lead to nine points. The score was 52-43 going into the final quarter.
The Golden Gophers continued scoring. A quick pull-up jumper from Amaya Battle helped Minnesota cut the lead to six with less than six minutes remaining.
A second-chance layup from Williams helped Wisconsin gain back and solidify their double-digit lead before the game ended.
Minnesota was unable to come back despite its scoring efforts, and Wisconsin won the game, 67-56.
Williams led all scorers while also claiming her twelfth consecutive double-double with 30 points and 15 rebounds. Including Williams, there were three Badgers with double-digit points — Copeland had 12, and D’Yanis Jimenez had 10.
Battle had 16 points and five assists for the Gophers.
Tuesday’s matchup marks Wisconsin’s fourth consecutive win over Minnesota. The Badgers sweeped the Gophers in the series this season, but Minnesota still leads the all-time series 21-10.
The Badgers will return home Sunday afternoon to take on Purdue at the Kohl Center.
