Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Stuns No. 12 Michigan on Senior Day

Madison, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team (11-19, 6-12 Big Ten) sent out their seniors in style, defeating the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines 78-70 on Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center. 

“I don’t actually quite think it’s hit me just yet,” said Wisconsin head coach Marisa Moseley. “I sat there at halftime and was just envisioning what it would be like to beat Michigan…I couldn’t have dreamed it better.”

Senior guard Julie Pospisilova led the charge, scoring a game-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting while chipping in six rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes. 

“Going into the game, I had a really good feeling that we were going to win, actually,” said Pospisilova. “Everything basically worked for us, we were able to make shots, play as a team, and it was just fun to play and win on senior night, especially with my parents in the stands; it’s special.”

UW also got meaningful contributions from redshirt freshman Maty Wilke, who finished with 15 points, and senior Avery LaBarbara, who scored 12 points of her own and added eight rebounds and five assists with ZERO turnovers in 38 minutes. 

.@averylabarbera from dowtown! pic.twitter.com/atLoSy4CmU

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerWBB) February 26, 2023

“We stuck together and were really confident on the floor,” said LaBarbera. “And like Jue [Julie Pospisilova] said, it’s insane that this was our last game at the Kohl Center, but so happy to walk away smiling, and I’m really proud.”

Wisconsin Did All of the Little Things Against Michigan 

Anyone who has watched Wisconsin women’s basketball this season knows ball security has been the team’s Achilles heel.

However, against Michigan, UW had a season-low 12 turnovers and held the Wolverines to 40% shooting from the floor. 

On the defensive end, the Badgers played with intensity, created problems for Michigan when they doubled them in the post, and, most importantly, never took their foot off the gas pedal. 

And on offense, their cohesion was off the charts. UW registered assists on 21 of their 26 made field goals. Additionally, the Badgers knocked down 17-of-19 free throws and got some quality minutes from the bench. 

It's like a work of art 🤌 pic.twitter.com/AHUZay3MnU

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerWBB) February 26, 2023

It was a total team effort for Wisconsin women’s basketball. 

Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Trending in the Right Direction

Although the growth of the Wisconsin women’s basketball program under Marisa Moseley has been incremental, there is no denying that things are heading in the right direction.

The Badgers have increased their win total overall and in conference play in year two under coach Moseley, which is impressive in its own right for a program that hasn’t had a winning record since 2010-11 — but it’s the way her team has improved on the court down the stretch that offers the most encouragement for the future.

“I think the growth has just been tremendous,” Moseley told BadgerNotes. “We have the same players, but they’re not the same players – right…That’s the biggest thing when you come to Wisconsin; we want to make sure that we develop you over your four years, and we have to do that year to year. And I think that we can honestly say from summer time until now, our players have all grown tremendously not only skill-wise but also in mentality.

“Really excited this is the way we’re ending the season heading into the [Big Ten] tournament.”

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