Big Ten Daily (March 8): Wisconsin's Serah Williams Breaks Big Ten Double-Double Record
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Wisconsin may not have won the game, but Serah Williams made Big Ten history on Thursday in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament. The All-Big Ten selection recorded her 16th consecutive double-double, breaking a conference record.
Williams finished Thursday's game against Penn State with 10 points and 10 rebounds, marking the 16th straight time she recorded a double-double. That broke the conference record, initially set by Iowa's Megan Gustafson, who had 15 consecutive double-doubles.
Penn State defeated Wisconsin 80-56.
"We did a great job on Serah Williams tonight, who is a phenomenal post player," said Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I have so much respect for her and her game and her improvement over the last year. I can't say enough about her, but our team weathered that matchup."
Thursday's performance was a fitting way to cap a remarkable season for Williams. She averaged 17.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game for the Badgers during the 2023-24 campaign. She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and was included on the conference's All-Defensive Team.
Media voted Williams as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Coaches selected Ohio State's Celeste Taylor.
"I have to give kudos to the young lady to my right, Serah Williams. Obviously this year, had an incredible year," said Wisconsin coach Marisa Moseley. "And I said to somebody in the media at some point, you don't have that without teammates who put you in the position to be successful like that, but she put in a ton of work and has continued to grow. Kudos to her."
(More) Friday Night Lights
The Big Ten will continue to play football games on Friday nights in 2024. Fox announced a "Friday night package" that will include games from the Big 12, Big Ten and Mountain West conferences.
“Fox is football, and our new Friday night package will make Fox the leader in America’s game throughout the weekend,” said Fox president of insight and analytics Michael Mulvihill.
“We’ve built our collegiate business by seizing opportunities in previously underutilized timeslots, first with Big Noon Saturday and now on Friday nights. Our goal this fall is to have the No. 1 college football game on both Fridays and Saturdays and the top NFL game on Sundays.”
At this time, Fox has has not announced any matchups or dates for its Friday night lineup. That information will be released at a later date.
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- BIG TEN BASKETBALL POWER RANKINGS: Both Ohio State and Iowa have won four of their last five games. There might still be some work left to do for the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes, but do they have an outside shot at making the NCAA Tournament? CLICK HERE