(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (13-7, 5-4 B1G) earned their second victory against a ranked opponent on the year, downing No. 24 Nebraska (14-5, 3-5 B1G) 63-60 in a nail-biter at the Kohl Center on Wednesday night.
Gift Uchenna paced the Badgers with her third double-double of the season, tallying a season-high 22 points to pair with 14 rebounds—shooting 10-of-17 from the field. Kyrah Daniels chipped in 19 points and Ronnie Porter added 10 to round out the top scorers for UW in their
How it Happened
Uchenna, who eclipsed the 500-rebound mark in her career with a pair in the first quarter, provided the spark for the Badgers with back-to-back baskets to get the scoring started.
Wisconsin and the Cornhuskers found themselves in a back-and-forth affair early on, as a two-point basket from Laci Steele put the Badgers up 17-15 at the end of the first frame.
UW enjoyed a 7-0 run right away in the second quarter, capped off by a three-pointer from Daniels to extend the lead to 26-17.
The Badgers answered a quick run from the Cornhuskers in the second period, as UW outscored Nebraska 28-14 with points in the paint in the first half of action. Uchenna and Daniels concluded the half with a pair of layups to take a 38-25 advantage into the break.
The Cornhuskers strung together a strong showing in the third frame, turning in 22 points in comparison to Wisconsin’s seven to take a 47-45 lead by the quarter’s termination.
UW continued to claw back after falling down 56-51 in the fourth quarter, as the Badgers tied the game up at 60-60 with a three-pointer from Daniels with less than two minutes to go. Seconds later, Uchenna forced a turnover and followed it up with a layup to put UW up 63-60.
From there, the Badgers’ defense continued to excel, as Destiny Howell blocked a three-point shot in the final seconds to seal the victory for UW.
UW went on to out-rebound the Cornhuskers 45-26 on the evening, turning in 16 second-chance points to Nebraska’s 10.
The Badgers shot 45.5% (25-55) from the field, 33.3% (6-18) from long distance and 77.9% (7-9) from the free throw line. They held Nebraska to 37.1% (23-62), 23.1% (6-26) from deep and 61.5% (8-13) at the free throw line to secure the upset victory.
Notes to Know:
- Gift Uchenna earned her 500th career rebound. Uchenna finished with a season-high 22 points, adding 14 rebounds for her third double-double of the year and 24th of her career.
- The Badgers out-rebounded the Cornhuskers 45-26.
- Wednesday’s win marked the Badgers’ first victory over Nebraska since 2019.
- The Badgers’ conference record of 5-4 is their best start to Big Ten play since 2010-11. The last time UW earned two ranked wins in a season was in 2009-10.
Up Next: The Badgers are back on the road to continue conference play, seeking their third-straight victory when they take on rival Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 25. The game is slated to start at 2:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+.
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