Wisconsin’s recent struggles continued against the then-No.11 Ohio State Buckeyes on Jan. 29, as the Badgers fell 81-58 in Columbus. Although senior guard Destiny Howell delivered a stellar 29-point performance, Wisconsin continued to demonstrate backbreaking inconsistencies.
After an amazing first quarter performance, a Wisconsin upset looked possible. Ohio State used a very aggressive full court press, which Wisconsin was able to exploit through long outlet passes down the court. Throughout the quarter, Wisconsin converted on their many open looks from 3-point range, shooting 5-for-7 from behind the arc to build a 23-17 lead.
Wisconsin's defense was doing a good job containing the Buckeyes as much as possible, but Ohio State was starting to work it inside near the end of the quarter. It was there — in the paint — that the Buckeyes proved most effective heading into the second quarter.
After an energetic first quarter, Wisconsin’s offense went from great to horrendous in a matter of minutes. The second quarter was one of their worst offensive showings in a single quarter all season, as the Badgers scored a ghastly five points, all by Howell. But during their cold stretch, Wisconsin contained Ohio State to just 16.7% from the field, surrendering only 12 points. The difference between the Badgers and Buckeyes, however, came in the turnover margin, as Wisconsin had already accumulated 14 turnovers at the half and trailed 29-28.
The Buckeyes took over in the third quarter, as star guard Jaloni Cambridge scored 14 points to take a 56-45 lead into the fourth. Wisconsin had no answer for Cambridge, who orchestrated a Buckeye offense that scored 27 points in the third quarter. For the Badgers, Howell continued her scoring output, contributing 10 of Wisconsin’s 17 third quarter points. But with little help elsewhere, Wisconsin found themselves in a hole.
In the fourth quarter, Wisconsin shot even worse, scoring just 13 points on a 33% shooting clip. Defensively, they still couldn’t find a way to stop the Buckeyes dominant inside game, allowing 25 points en route to a second consecutive blowout.
All chances of a comeback were put to bed as Wisconsin continued to turn the ball over, ending the game with 25 total turnovers. .
As each loss piles up, Wisconsin’s chances of making the NCAA tournament continue to shrink.
