Following an eight-point Badger victory against Illinois, Marisa Moseley’s Wisconsin Badgers (6-17, 3-10 Big Ten) was dominated by Brenda Frese’s Maryland Terrapins (18-6, 10-3 Big Ten) 70-43 Feb. 9.
After a decent start for both sides early, UW went scoreless for the final 4:40 0f the first quarter, allowing Maryland to go on an 11-0 scoring run and establish a 14-point advantage. The struggles extended into the second period, and with three layups from sophomore Angel Reese, the Terrapins boasted yet another 11-0 run.
In the blink of an eye, the Badgers trailed by 23 midway through the second. By intermission, Wisconsin faced a 19-point hole with only seven field goals made in 20 minutes of action.
Maryland continued to showcase its offensive excellence in the third, executing on six of 13 shots from the field. Wisconsin’s eight turnovers and four personal fouls in the quarter allowed Frese’s squad to take full control of the match, and the Terrapins extended their lead to 27 with the help of five points from Reese.
The Badgers fought in the fourth, cutting the deficit to 21 with some clutch 3-point baskets from Julie Pospíšilová and Katie Nelson. Despite UW’s 50% clip from deep in the final period, Maryland closed the contest with six unanswered points.
Given Maryland’s assertive defensive display, the Badger offense appeared stagnant, unable to generate any type of offensive consistency against their formidable Big Ten rival. To provide fans with a sense of how dominant the Terrapins defense was, UW earned just eight points in both the opening and third frame with a combined 6-21 split.
Maryland pulled down 12 more rebounds than UW and had nine fewer turnovers than the Badgers with their 13 steals. With 47.2% from the floor and 42.1% from behind-the-arc, the Terrapins led for well over three-quarters of regulation Wednesday evening.
With star guard Sydney Hilliard taking a leave of absence, sophomore Brooke Schramek stepped up with 16 points, five rebounds and a perfect 6-6 effort from the charity stripe. Per usual, point guard Nelson led UW in minutes played, logging 11 points to go with a pair of steals and assists. In her 35 minutes of action, junior guard Pospíšilová contributed nine points and five rebounds.
For Maryland, Reese recorded a game-high 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks with 58.3% shooting from the floor. Forward Chloe Bibby was a defensive menace with five steals along with 16 points and three scores from behind the arc. Junior guard Diamond Miller had 11 points and seven assists, while her teammate Shyanne Sellers chalked up 12 points and four more steals for Frese’s group.
Looking ahead, the Badgers return to the Kohl Center for a match against the Purdue Boilermakers on Feb. 13.
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