Wisconsin advances in WNIT with impressive offensive display vs. Illinois State
Sania Copeland tied a career-high with 18 points and four other Badgers scored in double figures in an 86-61 victory over Illiinois State on Thursday. Wisconsin advanced to the Super 16 round of the WNIT after a strong offensive performance against Illinois State. The Badgers followed up their one of the largest comeback victories in program history against Southern Indiana earlier this year. The team's performance included a 50-point half, a 47.6% three-point shooting season high, and a total of 86.6 points in the first half. Sophomore Sania Copeland sparked the surge with her best shooting day of the season, scoring 18 points and tying her career-high with 18 points. The game was decided in two stretches, with the Badgers' lead increasing from 12 points to 67 points. Up next is the winner of the Purdue Fort Wayne-St. Louis game.
公開済み : 4週間前 沿って Mark Stewart の Sports
MADISON – It was as if Wisconsin packed all the momentum it built at Southern Indiana on Monday and brought it to the Kohl Center.
The Badgers women’s basketball team followed up one of the biggest comeback victories in program history with arguably its best offensive performance of the season. The result was an 86-61 win over Illinois State in the Super 16 round of the WNIT.
Up next for UW will be the winner of the Purdue Fort Wayne-St. Louis game that will be played Friday in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Illinois State, which was held to 36.7% shooting, finished 22-12.
“You don’t come back from 19 down to come home and then lose the game and be done with the tournament,” UW coach Marisa Moseley said. “I think they understood there’s something special about playing together and I think tonight we put a lot of pieces together. It was cool to see.”
The Badgers (15-16) shot 51.6%, their second-highest percentage of the season. Their 47.6% three-point shooting was their season high, while their 9 threes tied their second-highest total of the season.
Fifty points in the first half were UW's most this season, as was the total of 86.
Sophomore Sania Copeland sparked the surge with her finest shooting day of the season. The 5-foot-7 guard hit seven of eight shots, including 3 for 4 from three-point range, and tied her career-high with 18 points.
The performance came on the heels of a 12-point, four-assist night against Southern Indiana. It was her first back-to-back double-digit scoring games since November.
“I was still electric from the last game we played,” she said. “That (19)-point comeback that was something that really (gave us) momentum for the rest of the season. I just had that on the back of my mind that I need to go score.”
Sophomore Serah Williams’ double-double streak ended at 18 games, but the 6-4 forward battled through foul trouble to post 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting with four rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard Ronnie Porter contributed a nice stat line – 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Senior Natalie Leuzinger (12 points) and freshman D’Yanis Jimenez (10) also reached double digits. Senior Halle Douglass also had a nice line – seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
The team combined for 22 assists while committing 13 turnovers, a very similar ratio to what it produced Monday (23 and 14).
“Our 22 assists to their nine says a lot,” Copeland said. “We were sharing the ball. We were not being selfish. We made the extra passes and that’s what works for us.”
The game was decided in two stretches.
Wisconsin played well in the first quarter. It led, 27-17, while hitting 55.6% of it shots (10 of 18) and going 4 for 5 from three-point range. Its 16-point lead at the break was its second-largest of the season.
Copeland had 11 points during the first 20 minutes. Williams and Leuzinger had nine each.
“It’s been well documented that Serah is such an anchor and a huge part of what we do, but when you have three-point shooting it really opens up the floor a lot more and enables the ball to go inside and out,” Moseley said. “For players to feel confident and comfortable in knocking those in, I think it just makes the game that much easier.
“You talk about having a 50-point half. You don’t just do that pounding the ball inside over and over again.”
The second run was the final 6 minutes 43 seconds of the third quarter. Williams went to the bench after picking up her third foul and didn’t return until the start of the fourth quarter.
Despite her absence the Badgers’ increased their lead from 12 points to 67-49. Six UW players scored at least one point during the run but no one had more than three.
Those stretches were among the reason Williams had no qualms about her double-doubles streak ending.
“I lost it (when) everyone played well, like Sania went off tonight,” Williams said. “I was more happy for her and seeing her do her thing. Eighteen is a good number.”
The run put the Badgers in the unique position a relatively stress-free fourth quarter as they pushed their advantage to as many as 30 points, which was their largest lead of the season and they cleared the bench with about 3 minutes to go.
The Badgers live to play another game.
“This is something new for all of us, so we’re really embracing it and going as far as we can and taking it day by day, practice by practice,” Copeland said.