Courtesy of Husker Athletics
Madison, Wis. – Nebraska used a huge rally in the third quarter to overcome a 13-point halftime deficit, but Wisconsin outscored the Huskers 10-2 in the final 3:30 to claim a 63-60 women’s basketball win over the No. 24 Big Red on Wednesday night at the Kohl Center.
Eliza Maupin notched a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, including her last field goal with 3:44 left to put Nebraska ahead 58-53. Britt Prince, who finished with 11 points and five steals, added a layup with 2:10 left to keep the Huskers in front 60-57,
But Wisconsin’s Kyrah Daniels answered with a three-pointer to tie the game with 1:49 remaining before hitting a free throw to put the Badgers back in front at 61-60. The Badgers came away with the ball, and Gift Uchenna hit the game’s final made field goal with 53 seconds left to complete the 63-60 Wisconsin win.
Nebraska slipped to 14-5 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten, while Wisconsin improved to 13-7 and 5-4 in the Big Ten. The Badgers also moved to 11-1 at the Kohl Center this season.
Uchenna finished with a game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Daniels closed with 19 points and eight boards. Ronnie Porter added a pair of important second-half three-pointers on her way to 10 points and six rebounds.
Amiah Hargrove led the Huskers with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting while contributing five rebounds on the night.
Nebraska finished just 37.1 percent (23-62) from the field, including 23.1 percent (6-26) from long range. NU also hit just 61.5 percent (8-13) from the free throw line. The Huskers dominated the turnover game, 22-10, including 17 steals, but got outworked on the boards, 45-26.
Wisconsin hit 45.5 percent (25-55) from the floor, including 6-of-18 threes, while connecting on 7-of-9 free throws.
Nebraska used a massive third-quarter rally to take a 47-45 lead to the final period. The Huskers, who outscored the Badgers 22-7 in the period, hit 8-of-17 shots in the quarter, including 4-of-7 three-pointers. NU matched Wisconsin on the boards in the period and won the turnover battle 9-2.
In its worst first-half of the season, Nebraska hit just 10-of-27 shots, including just 1-of-11 threes, as the Huskers fell behind 38-25 at halftime.
While the Big Red struggled, Uchenna and the Badgers controlled the game. Wisconsin hit 17-of-36 first-half shots, including 9-of-13 from Uchenna. UW hit 3-of-10 threes and dominated the glass 26-10. In fact, Wisconsin had more offensive rebounds (11) in the half, than NU had total rebounds.
Uchenna finished the half with a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards, including seven on the offensive end. Daniels pitched in eight points, while Laci Steele added seven points on 3-of-3 shooting.
Hargrove provided a first-half bright spot for Nebraska with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench, while Prince and Maupin each contributed five points.
The Huskers return home on Saturday to take on Illinois. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Fighting Illini is set for 1 p.m. (CT) with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Saturday’s game will feature Pack PBA and the Big Red Beach Party. Live coverage will be provided by the Huskers Radio Network on Huskers.com and the Huskers App, and the game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.
