The Badgers would have liked to leave Milwaukee and enter the upcoming UNLV tournament on a high note, but Milwaukee had other plans.
Behind the strong play of junior guard Jenny Lindner and senior guard Sierra Ford-Washington, the Panthers (3-1) were able to dismantle Wisconsin (1-4) fairly easily by a score of 80-63.
Lindner finished the night with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Her counterpart ended with 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
Wisconsin came into Tuesday’s game off a victory at home versus Butler, where the Badgers looked aggressive, got to the line and played solid defense, Tuesday night was the oppostite.
Junior guard Cayla McMorris and redshirt senior forward Avyanna Young each ended the night on the bench with five fouls. Sophomore forward Marsha Howard found herself in foul trouble as well, ending the night with four personals.
Coincidentally, the Badgers were led by McMorris, Young and Howard. McMorris was the leading scorer for Wisconsin with 11 points on 3-of-15 shooting. She also pulled down 10 rebounds, ending with a double-double.
Young contributed eight points and ten rebounds of her own, shooting 2-of-10. The sophomore, Howard, ended the night with 10 points and four rebounds, shooting 5-of-8.
After the first quarter ended, Milwaukee was leading 18-13 and never gave up that lead. Wisconsin was able to come within nine points in the third quarter and 11 points in the fourth, but that would be the closest the Badgers would get.
Wisconsin shot 38 percent from the field Tuesday night. As a team, they tallied 41 rebounds, eight assists, 17 turnovers and an impressive 22 bench points.
The Panthers shot slightly better at 42 percent and also pulled down 41 rebounds. Milwaukee also had five more assists and three less turnovers.
Milwaukee used free throws to cushion its lead in an essential part of the game. The Panthers shot eight more free throws and went 92% from the line, whereas Wisconsin mustered up a dismal 67% from the charity stripe.
Wisconsin will need to improve from the free throw line and in staying out of foul trouble before the UNLV invitational, which consists of two games. They play this Saturday against Ole Miss at 4:30 p.m.
