This week the Badgers took their talents down to Paradise Island in the Bahamas in hopes to win the Junkanoo Jam crown.
While the Badgers showed resilience in both of their matchups, they ultimately came up short, losing 67-44 to the University of South Carolina and 61-43 to East Carolina University.
Coming into Wednesday’s matchup, the Gamecocks of South Carolina came in as the No. 1 team in the country, so Badgers knew they were going to face a complete and dominant team in their first matchup.
The Badgers surprised critics at first as they got off to a fast start during the first half, only trailing the Gamecocks 15-14. However, South Carolina proved to be too much, going on a 16-4 run to close the half with a 31-18 lead.
While the Badgers started off hot like they have done earlier in the season, they simply could not fend off the Gamecocks and never came back in the second half.
The Badgers committed 19 turnovers and shot an anemic 28.3 percent from the field, while South Carolina only had 10 turnovers and shot a superior 43.8 percent from the field.
The Gamecocks also dominated in the rebound, assist, and steals categories by a large margin through the entire game, which explains their comfortable win.
Although the Badgers lost by 23 points, Wisconsin redshirt senior forward Michala Johnson led all players with 13 and Wisconsin held South Carolina to their lowest amount of points this season.
Following the South Carolina loss, the Badgers then proceeded to battle 5-1 East Carolina in a consolation matchup, but ultimately posed no challenge to the Pirates, losing by 18 points.
Like the previous game, the Badgers started off hot, jumping out with a 5-0 run, but simply could not find their mojo as shooting woes and turnovers hindered Wisconsin.
Wisconsin only scored 18 first half points, and an improved second half still saw them reach a meager 43 points.
With 23 total team turnovers and an abysmal 41.7 percent team free throw percentage, the Badgers essentially beat themselves with careless play.
Johnson had another efficient game, registering a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Junior guard Nicole Bauman contributed 13 points for the Badgers and junior guard Dakota Whyte added 10 points.
Throughout the Junkanoo Jam, the Badgers fought hard, but ultimately turnovers and offensive struggles continue to impact the team immensely.
This Thursday, the Badgers will travel to Coral Gables, Florida to face the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
