The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team picked up their second win Nov. 10 with a strong defensive performance in their 75-46 win against the UW-Milwaukee Panthers at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin elected not to introduce its starters for the game; rather, they wanted to introduce themselves as a team, with the video camera showing them huddled up near the tunnel. Senior guard Destiny Howell said it demonstrated how team-oriented they are.
“Being able to showcase that in a really cool way was something we were looking forward to doing,” Howell said in the post-game press conference.
Wisconsin started the game strong with a 10-0 run. Howell started hot once again, recording the first five points of the game. Howell finished the game with nine total points, surpassing the 1,500 career points mark.
Wisconsin’s defense made an early statement as well, only allowing the Panthers to score 10 points in the first quarter. From the start of the game, they deployed a full-court press, which Milwaukee struggled to counter. After a commanding first quarter, the Badgers led 20-10.
The second quarter was much of the same. Wisconsin continued to force Milwaukee into tough shots and various turnovers. The Badgers forced 14 turnovers in the first half, a testament to their tenacious effort on defense. Wisconsin’s shooting percentage improved from their last two games, shooting 44.4% from the field in the first half. Despite their 34-20 lead at half, turnovers plagued the Badgers offense, committing eight turnovers going into the locker room
In the second half, Wisconsin’s backcourt duo began to shine. Ronnie Porter and Breauna Ware finished the game with season highs, with 9 and 13 points, respectively. Production from both guards will be key if the Badgers want to excel this year, as taking offensive pressure off Howell and Kyrah Daniels will be a necessity throughout the season.
The Badgers ended the game shooting 45% from the field and ended with a 29.2% shooting percentage from behind the arc.
Wisconsin had total command throughout the game, with many of their starters getting a much-needed rest by the fourth quarter.
