Badgers Beat Illini For First Big Ten Women's Victory
The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team withstood a furious rally by Illinois to win their first Big Ten game of the season, besting the Illini, 67-61, on Sunday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
Despite double-doubles from both Serah Williams and Ronnie Porter, the Illini (6-7, 0-3 in Big Ten) went on a huge run down the stretch, making six straight field goals to cut the Badgers’ lead to 63-61 with 25 seconds left.
But, Wisconsin (8-6, 1-3), which had an 11-point lead with 3:42 left in the game, managed to survive despite not making a field goal in the final three minutes of the game.
How? Wisconsin had an incredible run at the free throw line in the final seconds, as the Illini fouled them in a bid to extend the game.
In the final 26 seconds Porter went 4-for-4 at the line while Halle Douglass went 2-for-2, part of a 13-for-18 clip at the line in the final quarter and a 19-for-25 performance for the game.
Williams had nine fourth-quarter points, along with four rebounds, to help fuel her game-leading 27 points and 15 rebounds. Porter not only had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, she nearly had a triple-double with eight assists.
Wisconsin didn’t shoot great for the game — just 36.2% from the field and 21.4% from the 3-point line — but their 71.4% from the free-throw line helped seal the win.
Makira Cook led the Illini with 18 points, while Genesis Bryant scored 14 points and Adalia McKenzie had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kendall Bostic added 10 points.
Wisconsin is back on the floor on Wednesday when it hosts Northwestern, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. on BIG+.
