The No. 6 seed Wisconsin Badgers faced off with the No. 11 seed Northwestern Wildcats in the final contest of the first round of the 2002 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Thursday night.??
In search of and hungry for its first win against a conference opponent, Northwestern fought Wisconsin hard on every possession and for every loose ball, only to fall by a score of 60-58.
The first half started slowly as both teams struggled to score points and limit turnovers. Ten minutes into the game both teams combined for just 21 points.??
The Badgers (17-11) scored nine consecutive points to provide UW with a 25-21 advantage. Northwestern (4-24) responded, embarking on 6-1 run to end the half on top 27-26.??
Wisconsin came out in the second half and took control of the game, utilizing an 18-5 run to take a 44-32 lead with 13:40 remaining in the game. Senior center Jessie Stomski played a major role in that comeback effort, scoring eight points in the half's first five minutes.??
Northwestern answered back outscoring the Badgers 13-6 in a span of nine minutes to make the score 50-45 with 4:39 on the clock. Senior guard Kyle Black then nailed a three-pointer to put the Badgers up 53-45.??
Northwestern fought back by initiating its second 13-6 run of the half, to pull the Wildcats within one point with a minute left.??
Behind 59-58, but with the ball, Northwestern missed an opportunity to take the lead when UW senior guard Tamara Moore stole the ball and pushed it up court.??Junior forward Kristi Seeger was fouled with 10 seconds remaining and was sent to free throw line.
She made one, extending the Badgers' lead to two. On the game's final possession, Northwestern junior forward Natalie Will drove in the lane and put up a last second shot that just fell short. Time expired, giving Wisconsin the hard-fought victory.
Moore led the Badgers with 17 points and six assists. Stomski added 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds.??
NU's scoring was headed by freshman forward Suzanne Morrison, who tallied 15 points.
With its first-round victory, Wisconsin advances to play the No. 3 seed Minnesota tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m.
