The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the No. 24 Nebraska Cornhuskers in a thrilling duel at the Kohl Center Wednesday night. Wisconsin, now 13-7 (5-4 Big Ten), has beaten two ranked teams in a single season for the first time since the 2009-2010 season.
Senior forward Gift Uchenna came to play right from the start, propelling the Badgers in the first quarter. Wisconsin’s game plan was to play inside, feed the forwards and then dish it outside if there wasn’t an opening. Uchenna was the go-to player, dominating the paint and consistently finding an open lay-up. The plan worked to perfection, as Nebraska couldn’t stop Uchenna, who scored 10 points in the first quarter.
Nebraska, meanwhile, struggled to find their groove. The Badgers full court press did a good job of frustrating the Cornhuskers and forcing them into unnecessary shots. Nebraska also struggled from behind the arc, going 0-for-8. With Nebraska reeling, the Badgers had a great opportunity to take a steady lead early in the game. A huge 3-pointer by junior guard Laci Steele tied the game with 1:30 left, and later, a layup with 56 seconds left put the Badgers up 17-15 to end the first quarter.
Wisconsin began to dominate during the second quarter, rattling off a 9-2 run over the quarter’s first four minutes. With three minutes left in the half, Wisconsin needed a spark to maintain their advantage. Senior guard Lily Krahn answered by hitting a contested 3-pointer to give the Badgers a seven-point lead. By the end of the quarter, both Uchenna and junior guard Kyrah Daniels were heating up and becoming a problem for Nebraska, as Wisconsin led 38-25 at half.
Wisconsin’s only job for the third quarter was to continue to play aggressively and hold on to their big lead. Instead, the third quarter saw the Badgers squander their lead. Wisconsin became a turnover machine, scoring only seven points while turning over the ball nine times.
With lazy passes and sloppy screens causing Wisconsin to play out of rhythm, the Badgers offense was suddenly dysfunctional. Nebraska took advantage of the Badgers' poor play by going on a 22-7 run in the third quarter, which gave them a 47-45 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Senior guard Ronnie Porter hit a 3-pointer to retake the lead and gave the Badgers the spark they needed, paving Wisconsin’s road to victory. For the next six minutes of the fourth quarter, Wisconsin and Nebraska continued to trade points. Nebraska got up to a six point lead with a nice second chance 3-pointer from Logan Nissley. But Wisconsin wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.
With two minutes left, Wisconsin was within three of Nebraska. With 1:57 left, Daniels was able to create space on the wing from a screen by Uchenna, setting herself up perfectly for a shot from behind the arc. Daniels swished the 3-pointer, tying the game at 60. A minute later, Uchenna received the ball from an inbound pass. With Nebraska playing man-to-man defense, Uchenna drove and converted a difficult layup that put the Badgers up 63-60.
But the game sealing play came on defense with five seconds left. Nebraska’s Callin Hake, at the top of the key, attempted a last ditch 3-pointer, which senior guard Destiny Howell emphatically blocked, denying any chance of a Cornhusker response and clinching the Badgers’ win.
Uchenna and Daniels were essential in Wisconsin's victory, with Uchenna notching a double-double (22 points and 14 rebounds) and Daniels coming up clutch with 19 points. Wisconsin is now 11-1 at home, their best home record in over 30 years. After a rough 3-game stretch, Wisconsin has turned it around, winning their last two and starting to become efficient offensively.
The Badgers have one more game before traveling to Columbus to take on No. 12 Ohio State. With nine games left to play in the regular season, Wisconsin will look to keep their hopes alive to qualify for the NCAA tournament in March.
