The Wisconsin women's basketball team's (3-5 Big Ten, 7-13 overall) quick start and ability to hold off a late Minnesota (3-5, 11-11) rally propelled the Badgers to come away with a 78-72 Big Ten win on the road. Tonight's game marked the highest point-total on the season for the Badgers, who shot 50 percent (30-60) from the floor.
Minnesota made things interesting, however, by pulling within five with just 3:27 remaining after its 7-0 run. This was ultimately offset by the strong start the Badgers got off to. The Badgers were leading 31-15, their largest lead of the contest, with 10:04 left in the first half.
"We always emphasize that when you come into someone else's place you have to get a good start," head coach Bobbie Kelsey said. "Being at home and having a good crowd gives the home team confidence. We had to really come out and play from the beginning of the game."
Senior forward Anya Covington once again led the Badgers' scoring attack. She shot 9-of-14 from the floor and ended up with 19 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Taylor Wurtz turned in yet another solid performance for the Badgers by recording another double-double. She had 18 points and 10 boards. Sophomore guard Morgan Paige was the other player in double-figures, scoring 18 points as well.
"Anya has really come on here," Kelsey said. " This was a great game for her to showcase what she can do. We always knew she could. When she is called upon to get the ball and score on the block, she does that for us. You always need an inside-out game."
Despite being up 31-15 with over 10 minutes left in the first half, the Gophers slowly chiseled away at the Badgers' lead and found themselves down only 41-32 at the break.
"I am very proud of our group," Kelsey said. "We worked hard this week to prepare for a great Minnesota team."
Three Gophers scored in double figures in the offensive-oriented contest. Rachel Banham, the team's leading scorer, tied Covington for the game-high with 19 points. The Lakeville, Minn. native shot 6-of-10 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Katie Loberg (15) and Kionna Kellog (10) also reached double figures for Minnesota.
"They are very good shooters, penetraters and they do share the ball," Kelsey said of the Gophers, who shot 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from three-point range. "We had an opportunity here and we wanted to capitalize on it and I am very proud of our team for persevering through a tough game."
Paige's hot shooting continued Thursday night, as the 5-foot-9 sophomore hit three of her four three-point attempts just one game after scoring 20 points against Northwestern. She was 6-of-12 from long range in that contest, including five in the first half. She scored her 18 points Thursday despite only playing 21 minutes.
Wurtz's 10 rebounds was a team-high as the Badgers out-rebounded the Gophers 36-35.
Wisconsin did struggle a bit at the charity stripe, shooting just 56 percent (9-of-16). Minnesota, however, hit 22-of-28 free throw shots (78.6 percent).
Wisconsin gets back into action when it returns home Monday, Jan. 30. The Badgers will square off against the Michigan Wolverines. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
