Coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since December, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team had optimism going into their Wednesday night nationally televised matchup against the No. 2 UCLA Bruins. That optimism quickly simmered as the Badgers fell to UCLA 91-61 in a 30-point blow-out defined by the overwhelming size advantage of the Bruins.
UCLA boasted a starting lineup with an average height of six feet, while Wisconsin’s starting lineup’s average height is 5-foot-10. The major contributor to the size of UCLA is center Lauren Betts, who is 6-foot-7, showcasing how vital her height is to the success of the Bruins on Wednesday.
Junior forward Williams had 22 points and five rebounds, returning to her role as the lead scorer for the Badgers. Although she faced a defensive paint with players either as tall or taller than her, Williams still shot efficiently from the field, 8-15 on the night.
Junior guard Ronnie Porter earned the only other double-digit scorer for Wisconsin, scoring 13 points, and had three rebounds with three assists. Porter has continued to showcase her ball-handling ability for the Badgers this season, with Wisconsin relying on her to play make when the offense becomes stagnant.
The rest of the Badgers’ offense struggled to get quality shots off due to the height of UCLA. Wisconsin players outside of Williams and Porter shot 10-35, with only six of those makes coming inside the 3-point line.
Betts dominated the game during the 24 minutes she played, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on her way to a double-double. It wasn’t the only one of the night, however, as junior forward Timea Gardiner also had 10 rebounds along with 14 points. Londynn Jones added 13 points to round out the Bruins double-digit scorers.
The Badgers managed to keep the game competitive in the first quarter, but UCLA attacked the paint immediately from the tip. Betts scored 11 points alone in the first quarter, showcasing her ability to get to the paint with ease. Williams countered with seven points of her own, providing most of Wisconsin’s offense. The quarter ended with the Badgers down 10 at 22-12.
The second quarter came with a troublesome start, as Williams picked up two personal fouls in the period. This forced head coach Marisa Moseley to take her out of the game, which halted the Badgers’ offensive production. With Betts adding nine points to her stellar performance, UCLA started to widen the gap. The halftime buzzer sounded, Bruins up 45-28.
The second half simply got worse for the Badgers, as UCLA went on an onslaught from 3-point range. They shot 5-6 from 3 on the quarter, with Betts only having to play five minutes due to the effectiveness of their offense.
Porter and Williams were the only scorers for Wisconsin in the third, highlighting the struggles of other players. Once the third quarter ended, the Badgers found themselves down 70-40.
Wisconsin had their best scoring quarter in the fourth, but it was too late for any real chance at a comeback. They matched UCLA with 21 points, ending the game 91-61.
