The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (13-16, 4-14 Big Ten) traveled to Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday afternoon to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (20-9, 11-7). In their final regular season game of the season, the Badgers fell to the Hawkeyes 81-66.
Despite the loss, two Badger starters put up double-double games. Junior forward Serah Williams put up 18 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore center Carter McCray racked up 17 points and 10 rebounds. Graduate student Tess Myers added 12 points to the score, shooting a staggering 57.1%, 4 for 7, from the 3-point line.
The Iowa Hawkeyes were on point Sunday, shooting 51.7% from the floor. Senior Lucy Olsen led the team with 22 points. Junior Hannah Stuelke was a force in the paint with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
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This late in the season, both teams carried a high-tempo atmosphere to kick off the game. Iowa scored first, with two quick makes from Stuelke and Kylie Feuerbach. For the Badgers, Williams scored first, keeping the game close. Wisconsin kept up with Iowa’s offense throughout the first quarter. With an and-one play from McCray, Wisconsin took their first lead of the game 21-20 to end the quarter.
The Badgers stepped up their defensive intensity to start the second quarter. Neither team scored for the first three minutes of the second quarter. The physical play kept the Badgers in the game, but also put two of their top players, Williams and junior guard Ronnie Porter, in foul trouble, sending them to the bench.
The scoring drought for the Badgers continued, with their first score in the second quarter coming from junior guard Lily Krahn with 4:37 remaining in the half. The second quarter, however, remained close. A buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Myers tied the score 36-36 heading into halftime.
In a story of two halves, the Hawkeyes came out hot in the third quarter making three straight triples, setting the tone for the rest of the game. After a timeout by the Badgers, a 3-point make from Myers stopped the Hawkeye’s run.
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The Badgers continued to show fight throughout the quarter with a series of baskets from McCray. The third quarter ended with Iowa leading 62-53.
In the final quarter of the game, Wisconsin continued to show fight. But, Iowa’s lead was too great to overcome. With the final score of 81-66, the Hawkeyes ended the regular season on a high note, giving their senior players a final win at home on senior night.
The Badgers don’t have to wait long for a rematch against the Hawkeyes. As the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, the Badgers are set to face off against the Hawkeyes Wednesday, Mar. 5 at 7:30 p.m.