The Wisconsin Badgers recent slide continued Feb. 4 with a 77-74 home loss to the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana, who entered the matchup 1-10 in Big Ten play, offered a chance for the Badgers to get back on track, but with the loss, Wisconsin has now fallen in six of their last eight games.
Senior guard Destiny Howell and junior guard Kyrah Daniels were the go-to players for Wisconsin throughout the game. Daniels was electric in the first half while Howell took over in the second half. Both players ended with 15 points. However, their performances were outshone by Indiana guard Shay Ciezki’s 31-point performance, putting the struggling Hoosiers squad on her back.
Wisconsin found some early offense, scoring 16 first quarter points through their traditional offensive approach: pushing the ball inside and dishing it outside for the 3-pointer. With a quarter-ending 5-0 run, Wisconsin finished the first quarter strong, leading Indiana 16-15.
Playing with blazing pace, the Hoosiers scored by easily breaking through Wisconsin’s full court press and driving for shots around the basket.
Daniels carried the weight for the Badgers in the second quarter, scoring 8 points, all from the midrange. But Daniels’ production was about all the Badgers’ offense received, as the rest of the team combined for just six points in the quarter. Wisconsin trailed 31-30 at the half.
Officially on upset watch, Wisconsin needed to turn their fortunes around in the second half.
Wisconsin’s defense, however, continued to struggle, failing to contain Ciezki’s drives. Indiana shot 60% from the field, eventually taking a nine point lead. With 30 seconds left in the quarter, Howell hit a huge 3-pointer to bring the deficit down to 53-47, giving Wisconsin some momentum heading into the final quarter.
Led by Howell, Wisconsin’s offense caught fire in the fourth quarter, exploding for 27 points, 11 of which came from the senior. Showing true determination when driving towards the basket, and with a bit of help from behind the arc, Wisconsin found themselves in position to escape a devastating loss.
With six seconds left in the game, and Indiana leading by two, Ciezki made her first free throw but missed her second, leaving the door open for Wisconsin to complete the comeback.
However, the Badgers couldn’t set up a play, and guard Ronnie Porter was left to heave an unsuccessful deep 3-pointer as time expired.
Wisconsin now stares down the barrel of an extremely tough schedule, with little room for mistakes. Each of Wisconsin’s next six opponents, three of them ranked, stand ahead of Wisconsin in the Big Ten rankings.
