Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball had a lot to celebrate after Thursday night’s game against the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames, coming out on top with a four-point victory, 61-57.
Junior forward Serah Williams reached 1,000 career points in the Badgers’ win over the Flames. She is the 29th women’s basketball player to achieve this milestone and is the third fastest to do so, achieving it in only 66 games.
Williams achieved her milestone in just the first quarter, but she just kept on going. She was the leading scorer of the night, dropping 20 points, to bring her career point total to 1,016. Williams also grabbed 14 rebounds, collecting the 25th double-double of her career.
Sophomore center Carter McCray and graduate student guard Natalie Leuzinger helped Williams out with 10 points apiece.
The game was a gritty one from both sides. In the first quarter, the teams combined for 21 points, Wisconsin leading 12-9. The Badgers forced three shot clock violations and held the Flames to a low shooting percentage.
In the second quarter, it was all Badgers. They were able to keep the Flames to only scoring seven second-quarter points. This number is tied for the 10th fewest in Badgers program history. At the half, the Badgers led 25-16.
After the half, it started to light up for both teams. The Badgers, thanks to rebounding, were able to keep their composure. In the fourth quarter, the Badgers led 35-31 in rebounding, which helped them pull away from this game entirely.