Following a tough defeat in Green Bay last Thursday, the Wisconsin women's basketball team bounced back in dramatic fashion, taking the Kansas Jayhawks to overtime, and eventually falling 93-86.
The loss came despite a heated effort from senior guard Alyssa Karel, who returned to the court for the first time this season, following an injury suffered in the team's opening exhibition match. Karel came out determined from the beginning, taking 25 shots from the floor and finishing with 27 points.
""I knew I wasn't going to come back until I could be 100 percent, so I was really happy to be back today and help my teammates,"" Karel said.
Following a tight match the entire first period, the Badgers entered the locker room at halftime with a narrow 31-30 lead, thanks to a late 3-pointer by junior Emily Neal. Neal finished the match with 14 points overall.
As one key player returned for the Badgers though, another went down Sunday evening. Just over four minutes into the second half, forward Lin Zastrow, taking on two Jayhawks for a rebound, fell hard to the ground immediately grabbing her knee. The senior was helped off the floor and taken to the locker room. Head coach Lisa Stone could not say when she expects Zastrow to return.
Following the injury, the team seemed to lose its air, as Kansas took off en route to a lead which ballooned to as many as 11 points with 10:40 remaining in the game. From that point, the Badgers re-discovered their swagger and put up nine unanswered, closing the gap at 57-55 with just over seven minutes remaining.
Both teams battled hard for the final third of the half with the Badgers finally taking their first lead at the 1:01 mark, following an electrifying four-point play courtesy of Neal.
""Our energy was up, our emotions were up,"" Karel said. ""I know that every single person on our team down the stretch knew we were going to win that game, we thought we were going to win that game, confidently.""
The Jayhawks tied the game though with a free-throw apiece on their final two possessions, though, and the Badgers had to settle for an extra five minutes of play.
Kansas came out hot in overtime, taking a quick six point lead, and although the Badgers came within two of the Jayhawks late, Kansas was simply too good in the paint and too good at the line.
The Jayhawks out-rebounded the Badgers 48-28 on the night, leading to 22 second chance points. Additionally, the Badgers committed an astonishing 27 fouls, and Kansas, while not phenomenal, took advantage of the opportunities, sinking 33 free throws.
Pre-season All-Big 12 selection, sophomore Carolyn Davis led all scorers with 29 points, while her scrappy Kansas teammate, sophomore Monica Engelman added 17.
""It was a great response to the other night,"" Stone said. ""This game is going to help us. We're going to get better [and] a lot of growth happened today.""
