The Wisconsin women's basketball team has thus far felt the effects of the Big Ten season, amassing a 3-4 conference record and a 13-5 record overall.
Here is a closer look at the Badgers' first seven Big Ten contests:
Iowa 73, UW 63
After the finals week hiatus, Wisconsin hit the hardwood to host a hot Iowa squad. The Hawkeyes shot a blistering 57 percent from the floor in the first half and never let up, snapping the Badgers' 10-game winning streak.
They really shot the lights out,"" Wisconsin head coach Lisa Stone said. ""They played very, very well and we just started playing a little too late. We put a little valiant effort together in the second half.""
Sophomore forward Lin Zastrow tied a career high with 18 points against Iowa with junior forward Mariah Dunham and sophomore guard Alyssa Karel adding 14 and 11 respectively.
UW 62, Minnesota 52
Minnesota had no answer for Teah Gant, as Wisconsin's junior guard registered a career high 17 points and a team high seven rebounds en route to the Kohl Center victory.
""What a tremendous game by her both offensively and defensively ... it really sparked it for us,"" Stone said. ""In the very last timeout we had said that the guards have to rebound and she comes up with a board, goes to the free throw line for two and caps it off.""
Dunham added 12 points and tallied five of the team's nine blocks against the Gophers. The Badgers shot 76 percent from the free-throw line, including Gant's 11-for-12.
Wisconsin also shut down prolific Minnesota senior guard Emily Fox, who finished with just two points on 1-for-14 shooting.
""They had great guard play and we were outplayed in the guard position on both ends of the floor,"" Minnesota head coach Pam Borton said. ""I would like to say that Emmy [Emily Fox] had a bad night but I don't want to take anything away from Wisconsin's defense.""
UW 53, Illinois 38
Wisconsin kicked off the New Year by trouncing Illinois in Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill., holding the Illini to the lowest point total for a UW opponent this season.
""[We had] tremendous balanced scoring, a great job on the glass against a good rebounding team and just an unbelievable defensive performance,"" Stone said. ""I can't say enough about our players and their ability to adjust, step in when needed, play defense like we ask them to every day and continue to get some wins.""
The Badgers led by as many as 25 points with just over five minutes left in the game before Illinois used a 10-0 run to finish the game.
Northwestern 49, UW 46
Northwestern picked up its first conference win by upsetting the Badgers in Evanston, Ill.
Cold shooting and untimely turnovers led to Wisconsin's demise, as the offense grew especially stagnant in the second half, converting only seven of its 27 second half field goal attempts.
""We didn't get into a rhythm at all,"" Stone said. ""We had 10 first-half turnovers and they were running man-to-man on top and zone down low.
Anything we wanted inside was gone and they had a game plan to make Alyssa [Karel] work '¦ We just couldn't get into a flow.""
Karel was the only Badger in double digits with a game-high 19 points.
No. 16 Ohio State 55, UW 42
Despite holding the Buckeyes to their lowest point total this season, Wisconsin suffering just its second home loss, shooting a season-low 26 percent from the floor.
""It was a tough shooting night and we had some good looks, it just did not go down,"" Stone said. ""The first half, I believe the scoreboard read 11 for nearly half an hour, it felt like. We just could not get the ball to drop.""
Buckeye All-Big Ten sophomore forward Jantel Lavender tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds. Zastrow led the Badgers with 11 points and six rebounds.
UW 58, Michigan 54
Up 16 points with just over four minutes remaining in the game, the Badgers staved off a furious Michigan comeback in front of a season high 7,857 Kohl Center fans to move back to .500 in the Big Ten.
""We got a little tentative and a little rattled, sped up a little bit,' Stone said. ""We played a little bit not to lose there those last five minutes. But we got it done.""
Dunham was big for Wisconsin, with 17 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Junior guard Rae Lin D'Alie also chipped in 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the floor.
The Badgers held the Wolverines scoreless until senior guard Jessica Minnfield made a free throw four minutes into the game and without a field goal until the 12 minute mark of the first half.
Indiana 64, UW 61
The Badgers ended their winter break run with a disappointing loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in Assembly Hall.
Indiana led for almost all of the game, but Wisconsin never quite let them build up a large lead. The Hoosiers used a 9-2 run after halftime to take a seven-point advantage, but the Badgers rallied to take a small edge for a few seconds late in the game.
After Zastrow hit a short lay-up to tie the game at 58, Kim Roberson drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws. Moments later Gant traveled at the top of the key, effectively ending the Wisconsin's chances.
The Badgers will play their next game Sunday against Illinois at the Kohl Center.
- uwbadgers.com
contributed to this report.
