Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Falls to MSU After 4:48 Scoreless

Wisconsin women’s basketball was locked in a tightly contested matchup against Michigan State. A pair of struggling Big Ten teams with three-game losing streaks were tied at the end of the first half. Despite a poor defensive performance in the third quarter, the Badgers (7-18, 2-11 B1G) kept it close with quality free-throw shooting. Hopes were high as UW attempted to get the season sweep over the Spartans (12-12, 4-9).

Then, the fourth quarter started.

A 4:48 scoring drought for Wisconsin, during which Michigan State went on a 15-0 run, sealed the fate of the Badgers. Wisconsin missed five straight shots and committed three turnovers during that drought. Michigan State finished strong overall, making nine of its ten last field goal attempts – the lone miss being a three-point attempt with just 37 seconds remaining.

It was a game that looked promising for the Badgers. Julie Pospisilova led the Badgers in points and assists with 22 and six, respectively. First-year Serah Williams recorded 18 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Pospisilova had 11 points in the first quarter. Williams made her first six shots from the floor.

After the #Badgers committed just one turnover in the first quarter, they just committed their fourth in the second on a shot clock violation that turned into three points on the other end.

— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) February 9, 2023

Wisconsin, which rates 310th nationally in turnover margin, took care of the ball for three quarters. After the third quarter, the Badgers had forced 12 turnovers while committing only nine. That is an impressive mark considering Michigan State causes the 15th most turnovers per game in the country. UW’s turnover woes arose again in the fourth quarter, however, handing the ball to the Spartans 9 times. MSU committed only four turnovers in the fourth quarter.

With multiple notable departures from the program, the Badgers certainly need more scoring depth. That lack of depth was on full display against the Spartans. Michigan State’s bench outscored Wisconsin 35-7. Much of that output came from Michigan State’s Taiyier Parks. The junior forward had a remarkable shooting performance going nine for ten from the field to record 20 points in a mere 24 minutes.

After the game, Moseley put it bluntly, the Badgers “got three quarters, just gotta put all four together.”

Wisconsin women’s basketball remains in 12th place in the Big Ten standings with the loss. It is the Badgers’ fourth-consecutive defeat.

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