It was too little, too late for the Wisconsin Badger women's basketball team (2-2) as their late-game rally was snuffed in a 64-58 loss to the Western Illinois Westerwinds (2-2) Monday at the Kohl Center. The Badgers cut an eight-point Westerwind lead down to two points with just 2:21 remaining in the game, but Western Illinois never let the Badgers get any closer and eventually walked away with the victory.
\It was a disappointing loss,"" said UW Head Coach Lisa Stone. ""The defensive and rebounding efforts that we had in Miami were certainly not displayed.""
Westerwind junior guard/forward Orinta Kavaliauskaite led all scorers with 15 points off the bench, while Westerwind junior guard Rita Castans added 14 points, including four three-point baskets. Western Illinois senior forward Tiffany Cornelius, the Westerwinds' leading scorer coming into the game was held to just six points on 1-of-8 shooting, but grabbed eight boards, a game high.
Sophomore guard Ashley Josephson was the only Badger player that scored in double figures with 12 points. Wisconsin junior guard Stephanie Rich, who had a rough night, shooting only 2-of-12 from the field, had nine points and a career-high eight assists. Sophomore forward Jordan Wilson added eight points and eight boards off the bench for the Badgers.
Wisconsin was out-rebounded for the first time all season 38-32 as they also surrendered 19 offensive rebounds. They also had a season low in free throw average (61.9 percent) and field goal attempts (58). Western Illinois, which had only attempted 23 three-point field goals all year, took a season-high 31 three-pointers in the contest.
""This team has a lot of potential and a lot of ability,"" said Wisconsin senior center Emily Ashbaugh. ""We need to put that towards one common goal, which is defensive stops with strong rebounding.""
The Badgers jumped out to an early 8-3 lead with strong inside play from senior centers Ashbaugh and Lello Gebisa, as well as junior forward Ebba Gebisa. Western Illinois came storming right back on the hot hand of Kavaliauskaite, who scored all 15 of her points in only 17 minutes of play. The teams were evenly matched in the first 20 minutes of play as Western Illinois led by one, with the two teams finishing the half even in both turnovers and rebounds.
After trading shots to start the second half, the Westerwinds built their lead up to eight on back to back three-pointers from Castans and Kavaliauskaite. The Badgers chipped away at the lead and finally cut Western Illinois' lead to only two on a layup by Rich. But Castans delivered the shot of the day with her fourth three-pointer on the very next play.
The Badgers were able to bring the game within one possession twice more, but a missed shot by Rich and a missed free throw by Wilson all but gave the Westerwinds the win. The loss was disappointing, but the team is already planning for Thursday's match with No. 17 Notre Dame.
