After losing six straight games, Wisconsin (5-13 Big Ten, 9-19 overall) finally broke its streak with a 62-56 win against Penn State (3-15 Big Ten, 6-23 overall) to wrap up the regular season.
In the opening minutes of the game, the Badgers and Nittany Lions traded leads several times before Wisconsin began to pull away with a 16-point lead near the end of the first half.
Going into halftime, the Badgers led Penn State 36-26, but the Nittany Lions quickly regrouped in the second half, tying the game up at 45 with under 10 minutes to play.
Rather than panicking, Wisconsin slowly went on an 8-0 run, and from that moment on, the Badgers kept their lead for the rest of the game.
UW junior guard Nicole Bauman led all players in scoring with 22 points and six 3-pointers, while junior guard Tessa Cichy contributed 19 points on 6-15 shooting. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Sierra Moore led the Nittany Lions with 17 points.
The Badgers cooled off on the offensive side of the ball Sunday after averaging 74.5 points per game in their last six contests. Sunday, Wisconsin only mustered up 62 points while shooting a mediocre 42.3 percent from the field.
Though the Badgers were outrebounded 47-30, their smart play helped carry them to a win. They only committed nine turnovers against the Nittany Lions, which was nearly half of their season average.
Although Wisconsin finishes the regular season with a losing record, they did improve their conference record by winning two more games than last year.
The Badgers will travel to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill., to face Purdue (3-15, 10-19) in the first round of the Big Ten tournament Wednesday. Wisconsin defeated the Boilermakers 65-56 Jan. 15 in West Lafayette, Ind.
