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Wisconsin Badgers WBB Knocks Off Eastern Illinois 76-64

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Wisconsin Badgers Women's Basketball - Marisa Moseley - Brooke Schramek
Wisconsin head coach Marisa Moseley talks with Wisconsin guard Brooke Schramek (3) during the first quarter of an NCAA women's basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette. Bkw Purdue Vs Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers ended the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 76-64 win over the Eastern Illinois Panthers at the Kohl Center on Thursday night.

UW was without Serah Williams, but all five Badgers starters scored in double-figures in her absence. Here is the full recap:

Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Final Score

Wisconsin Badgers (7-4 overall, 0-1 Big Ten): 76

Eastern Illinois Panthers (3-10 overall, 0-0 Ohio Valley): 64

Four Factors

eFG%: 50.0

Turnover%: 17.6

Off. Rebound%: 32.4

FTA/FGA: 35.6

Key Stats

FG%: 46.6 (27-of-58)
Opp. FG%: 46.4 (26-of-56)
3P%: 43.8 (7-of-16)
Opp. 3P%: 44.4 (8-of-18)
FT%: 73.9 (17-of-23)
Opp. FT%: 44.4 (4-of-9)
Points Per Possession: 1.147
Opponent Points Per Possession: 0.901
Rebounds: 40 (16 offensive)
Opponent Rebounds: 32 (eight offensive)
Turnovers: 17
Forced Turnovers: 17

Wisconsin Badgers Team Leaders

  • Sania Copeland: 12 points (4-of-9 FG, 4-of-8 3P), one rebound, three steals, +14
  • Brooke Schramek: 18 points (6-of-13 FG, 0-of-1 3P), six rebounds (two offensive), two steals, +18
  • Ronnie Porter: 12 points (3-of-8 FG, 1-of-2 3P), nine rebounds (one offensive), seven assists, four steals, +12
  • D’Yanis Jimenez: 19 points (7-of-14 FG, 0-of-2 3P), 11 rebounds (four offensive), four assist, two blocks, one steal, +11

Eastern Illinois Team Leaders

  • Macy McGlone: 18 points (8-of-15 FG, 1-of-1 3P), 10 rebounds (one offensive), two assists, four blocks, -14
  • Ellie Buzzelle: nine points (3-of-7 FG, 3-of-5 3P), seven rebounds (one offensive), three assists, one block, -7

Three Thoughts on Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Basketball

  1. The Badgers have been playing at their fastest pace in Marisa Moseley’s three seasons so far this year, although it is only marginally faster than last year. Moseley has stated that she wanted to play faster as she installed her system and her players because getting out in transition can lead to easy buckets. That brings us to Thursday night and the Runnin’ Badgers scored 20 fast break points against Eastern Illinois!

    It was the second time this season in which UW scored 20+ points on the break (they scored 22 against Boston College) and after only allowing EIU to score seven fast break points, Wisconsin has now outscored their opponents in this category on the season.


    Ronnie Porter did a nice job on the break by taking it to the tin and drawing fouls. D’Yanis Jimenez was also aggressive with the ball in transition, but I thought that Natalie Leuzinger had the best showing on Thursday night here. In the first half alone, Leuzinger scored twice on fast break layups and also nailed a three in transition to give the Badgers the lead back at the beginning of the second quarter.

    Easy points are always good, but they are even more important when your offensive centerpiece misses the game.

  2. I still haven’t fully bought into Wisconsin’s defensive renaissance this season, but it is hard to argue with their fourth quarter showing against EIU. With the game on the line, and the Badgers clinging to a two-point lead, UW held the Panthers to 25% shooting (3-of-12 FG, 0-of-2 3P) in the period and didn’t allow them to score a single point over the last 2:58 of the game. Wisconsin also forced four EIU turnovers and only committed one themselves.

    It was a masterful, and well-timed, performance especially when you take into account that their top rim protector wasn’t out there. Wisconsin is still benefiting from considerable three-point luck as they are one of the worst teams in the country (342nd out of 360) in allowing three-point attempts but are middle of the pack (229th out of 360) in defensive three-point FG%. They are, however, doing a great job of limiting scoring opportunities in the paint and, especially recently, they aren’t fouling a ton.

    Some of the better offenses in the Big Ten (see: Iowa game from earlier this season) are going to feast on Wisconsin’s lax perimeter defense, but if a team is having an off shooting night from deep, then the Badgers are going to score an upset or two down the line.
  3. While I have mentioned it in passing already, here it is explicitly: Serah Williams didn’t play against Eastern Illinois. She is UW’s leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker and any time she is out the Badgers will, most likely, struggle. On Thursday night, Wisconsin used a balanced offensive attack with Williams out and saw all five starters score in double-figures. UW also, smartly, utilized Schramek and Halle Douglass in the high post to pass to cutters that resulted in a couple of layups.


    Were you to draw up the perfect offensive night without Williams, it would probably look a lot like what happened against EIU. Jimenez was lethal attacking the basket and scored 19 points. Brooke Schramek got to the free throw line regularly and added 18 points. Sania Copeland bombed away from deep, making four three-pointers, while Porter and Leuzinger filled in the gaps, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively.

    The bench was non-existent offensively (outside of Douglass’ five points) but the starters were able to play heavy minutes (four played 35+) and keep the offense humming. Moseley’s rotations are still inscrutable (you’d think with Williams out we might’ve seen some more of the backups, even if only to see what you have there) but if this is just a one-game absence for Williams ahead of a nine-day layoff…it is fine that the starters played so much.

  4. BONUS THOUGHT: Ronnie Porter continues to impress this year and was one rebound and three assists away from a triple-double on Thursday. She also played 39 minutes and didn’t commit one turnover. She rules.
  5. SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO: D’Yanis Jimenez for winning Big Ten Freshman of the Week for her performance against St. Thomas last week. Her career-high 20 points propelled the Badgers to the W and she also added three steals, one assist, one block, and one rebound. She is the first Wisconsin player to win this award since Serah Williams (Feb. 27, 2023) last season. After her first career double-double against EIU, she’ll be in the conversation for this award again this week.

Final Thought

There isn’t a whole lot more to say about this game. The Badgers were missing their best player, took EIU’s best shot in the first half, and then came out in the second half and methodically pulled away for a double-digit win. This team has shown toughness early in the season and I think they’re going to give a lot of teams in the Big Ten problems the rest of the year.

If they can develop one or two additional options off the bench they’ll be able to push for a .500 record and potentially a WNIT bid (far-fetched, but more likely than I thought at the beginning of the year). They have multiple who have proven they are able to carry the scoring load. They have an excellent post player and can surround her with shooters at every other position. They have been playing tough defense and, quite frankly, they look like they give a shit every time they step onto the court.

Going into a nine-day winter break, these Wisconsin Badgers should hold their heads high and then concentrate on getting revenge on Purdue for the heartbreaking Big Ten Tournament loss from last year.

Next Game: Saturday, Dec. 30; at Purdue Boilermakers; 5:00 p.m. CT; BTN; Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind.

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Drew Hamm is a seasoned sports journalist with an extensive background in covering the Wisconsin Badgers. He has previously held positions as the site manager at Bucky's 5th Quarter and founder of Badgers Ball Knower. Currently, he contributes as a staff writer for BadgerNotes.com.

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