The Wisconsin women's basketball team (7-3 Big Ten, 12-10 overall) couldn't quite close it out in an overtime loss to No. 11 Michigan State (7-2 Big Ten, 19-3 overall) Thursday evening at the Kohl Center, falling 73-70.
Wisconsin trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half but led the Spartans by as many as 12 in the second half.
Senior forward Lin Zastrow had a career-high 23 points, and senior guard Alyssa Karel wasn't far behind with 21. Wisconsin wasn't able to stop the Spartan's leader, senior forward Kalisha Keane, however, who had a game-high 28 points. Sophomore guard Taylor Wurtz also scored in double figures for the Badgers, contributing 11 points in the loss.
The game started out with a layup from Zastrow, and the score remained tight until the Spartans pulled ahead for a 24-15 lead. After a Wisconsin timeout, the Badgers slowly started chipping away, and with a three-pointer from Zastrow the team was within three. The half ended with a huge block from junior forward Anya Covington, sending Wisconsin to the locker room down 30-28.
The Badgers offense came alive in the second half, opening and then extending a lead to as big as 12 points on a layup by senior forward Tara Steinbauer with 5:23 remaining.
Zastrow was poised at the line down the stretch, sinking four straight free throws to bring Wisconsin to a 60-55 lead with 1:22 left.
With 14 second remaining in the contest, however, Keane, Michigan State's leading season scorer, hit a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 60-60.
Wisconsin had a great last look, with an open drive from Karel but the shot rimmed out. Zastrow was there for the put-back but that shot too fell just short.
""Those are the ones that you wish you could get back,"" Zastrow said of her final shot in regulation. ""I just keep remembering what Coach Barnes always says: ‘Never short', and I think I left my last two shots short.""
The two teams headed into overtime, with the Spartans holding an edge in momentum.
That momentum translated into hot shooting on the offensive side and stiff defense on the other end of the court for Michigan State.
The five minute overtime was a struggle for Wisconsin, as they failed to stop Keane and the Spartans from making clutch shots in the field and from the free throw line.
Wurtz made two free throws to get the Badgers within one point with one minute left, but a missed rebounding opportunity gave Michigan State a fresh shot clock. Forced to foul in order to stop the clock, the Spartans made their final free throws and time simply ran out for the Badgers.
Wisconsin shot 45.6 percent from the field, including 5-12 shooting from beyond the three-point line.
Meanwhile, the Spartans shot 39.3 percent on the night, with five three-pointers, four courtesy of Keane.
The Badgers travel to Indiana Sunday to take on the Hoosiers (2-8 Big Ten, 8-14 overall). Indiana is fresh off a loss to Minnesota Thursday night, 65-59. Wisconsin will have to stop senior guard Jori Davis, who leads Indiana with 18.5 points per game.
""We have got to worry more about ourselves and we got to get this one back by winning on the road at Indiana on Sunday,"" Stone said.
