The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team lost to the No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers 68-54 Wednesday night at the Kohl Center.
Prior to the matchup, the Badgers sat at a 11-11 record and were 4-8 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers had a 20-3 record and were 11-2 in the conference.
Senior Brooke Schramek, sophomore Ronnie Porter, sophomore Sania Copeland, senior Natalie Leuzinger and sophomore Serah Williams started for the Badgers.
The Badgers immediately went on a 4-1 scoring run after winning the tip-off. Indiana quickly knocked down two 3-pointers, taking a 9-6 lead over Wisconsin. Both teams continued scoring to keep the game close in the first quarter.
Indiana guard Sara Scalia’s ability to quickly release shots from behind the 3-point line made it difficult for the Badgers to defend early on.
The Badgers responded by intensifying their defense, enlisting a full-court press. Their efforts were successful, even forcing Indiana to commit a 10-second violation. The score was 20-19 with Indiana leading going into the second quarter.
The Badgers struggled in the second quarter. They got sloppy with the ball, giving up seven turnovers in the quarter. Wisconsin also struggled with time management and missed opportunities to score because of shot clock violations.
The Hoosiers defense picked up, and they held the Badgers to six points in the second. Indiana notched 21 points in the second quarter for a 41-25 lead going into halftime.
The Badgers increased their defense in the third quarter, holding the Hoosiers to only seven points in the quarter. Two back-to-back mid-range jumpers from Williams helped Wisconsin get back in the game.
Despite limited scoring from Indiana, the Badgers were unable to take control of the game. Still, a quick buzzer-beater shot from senior Halle Douglass helped the Badgers end the quarter on a high note and made the score 48-39 going into the final quarter.
Indiana dominated in the final quarter, increasing the gap to 20 points with less than six minutes left to play. Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes was unstoppable in the paint, scoring 10 points in the quarter.
The Badgers’ defense slowed down in the quarter, allowing back-to-back 3-pointers from Indiana’s Chloe Mcneil-Moore.
The Hoosiers also struggled with fouls in the quarter, sending Williams to the free-throw line on back-to-back possessions. Nine of the 15 points the Badgers scored in the final quarter came from free-throws.
The final score was 68-54. Indiana’s Holmes led all scorers with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Williams claimed her 10th consecutive double-double and her 13th of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Despite the loss, Wisconsin held an Indiana team that averages 81.5 points per game to under 70 points.
Wisconsin head coach Marisa Moseley said her team's downfall came from “self-inflicted wounds.” The team totaled 19 turnovers and continuously struggled with their shot-clock awareness.
Despite the loss, Moseley said a lot of the confidence from the comeback win against Penn State carried over into Wednesday’s game.
“I don’t think there was any point where our team felt like we couldn’t be on the floor with them,” Moseley said.
Following Wednesday’s game, the Hoosiers now lead the all-time matchup record 16-9. The Badgers will travel to New Jersey Saturday to take on Rutgers.
