The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team lost their third straight game Sunday, falling to Illinois at the Kohl Center.
In a game where offense was hard to come by, Serah Williams was the only double-digit scorer for the Badgers. She scored eight of her 14 points in the game at the free-throw line, proving that even Wisconsin’s best scorer struggled against this Illinois defense.
Graduate student guard Halle Douglas was efficient in her 15 minutes off the bench, scoring six points and grabbing two rebounds. One positive to takeaway from Sunday was Wisconsin's bench unit, which contributed 17 points in the game.
Four Illinois players reached double digits, adding to the Fighting Illini’s potent offensive production. Adalia McKenzie had 18, Kendall Bostic had 15 and both Genesis Bryant and Brynn Shoup-Hill scored 11.
Scoring isn’t the only way the Fighting Illini bested the Badgers in this game. Illinois won the battle on the glass 38-27, grabbing 11 offensive rebounds as well.
Wisconsin had difficulty finding offense in the first quarter, going 3-12 from the field and only scoring 10 points in the entire period. Williams was seeing bodies often and early in the paint, getting zero shots off from the field.
Guard Natalie Leuzinger tried to get the Badgers going from three in the first quarter but couldn’t find her shot and went 0-3. It was a problem for the rest of the team, as Wisconsin shot 2-8 from the 3-point line in the first half.
Wisconsin couldn’t seem to stop fouling Bryant in particular, as she got six of her nine points in the quarter from the charity stripe. This added onto 8-15 shooting from Illinois as the team garnered a 25-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Badgers played Illinois tighter in the second quarter thanks to improved shooting and reduced turnovers, but they still found themselves down 17 when the first-half buzzer rang.
As the third quarter started, Williams was determined to score points by any means necessary. She went a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line, adding two field goals in the process.
Forcing six turnovers from Illinois, the Badgers had chances to score points to close the deficit. Despite the defensive intensity, Wisconsin only shot 5-16 from the field in the quarter. This halt in offensive output only led to them winning the quarter by five points, losing by 12 going into the fourth quarter.
Turnovers pestered Wisconsin in the last period, with six of their 15 coming in an untimely fashion. That, mixed with their 3-8 shooting, proved to be costly as Illinois coasted to a 22-11 quarter that gave them the win.
Wisconsin will look to snap their three-game losing streak on the road against No. 22 Michigan State.
