(UW ATHLETICS) – MADISON –
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (13-11, 5-8 B1G) fell 91-86 in overtime to the No. 24 Washington Huskies (17-6, 7-5 B1G) Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center.
Four Badgers ended in double-digits with Destiny Howell leading with 28 points while Gift Uchenna added a season-high 24 points. Laci Steele contributed 10 and Kyrah Daniels poured in 13.
How it happened:
Kyrah Daniels opened the scoring for Wisconsin with a bucket from the top of the key. Gift Uchenna made her presence felt early on the defensive end, grabbing two rebounds in the first two minutes. She stayed hot in the paint with back-to-back buckets and forced a turnover in between. In the opening quarter alone, Uchenna tallied four rebounds and two steals. Wisconsin held the lead for most of the quarter, but Washington closed strong to take an 18-17 edge heading into the second.
Destiny Howell scored the first basket of the second quarter, but Washington found its rhythm with a 6-0 run early on. Gift Uchenna halted the surge by drawing a foul and converting a pair of free throws. Midway through the quarter, Howell knocked down her first three of the game to cut into the deficit. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, highlighted by a key corner three from Ronnie Porter. Howell followed with back-to-back threes, pushing her into double figures for the 19th time this season. The game remained tight, with the Badgers trailing 44-38 at halftime.
Uchenna scored first in the second half from the paint. Laci Steele dumped a three pointer in from the wing to make it just a four-point game. Washington lost the ball on their end which allowed Kyrah Daniels to pass 10+ points on a fast break layup. The Huskies followed it up with another turnover. Shortly after, Uchenna registered a block and went down the court to add two more. Steele kept the Badgers in the fight with a three followed by an Uchenna steal and layup. Steele continued to be a crucial member of the offense, nabbing and AND1 to put the Badgers within three. Another foul put her on the line shortly after, this put the Badgers in the lead, 60-59 off an 11-0 run.
Uchenna stayed red-hot, knocking down four more baskets to finish with 22 points, tying her season high. She added a rebound on the other end to secure her fourth double-double of the season and 25th of her career. The game intensified down the stretch, with the lead changing hands multiple times before ending regulation tied and heading to overtime.
Ronnie Porter jump-started OT with a steal on Washington’s end and converted the opening basket. Washington quickly answered, but Uchenna responded by breaking her season mark with a layup to give Wisconsin the lead once again. Washington briefly reclaimed the advantage, yet the Badgers showed resilience as Destiny Howell drilled a pair of clutch three-pointers and added a free throw at the line to swing the lead back in Wisconsin’s favor. Despite the push, Washington closed the game with the win.
Wisconsin finished shooting 48.6% (34-70) from the field, 50.0% (11-22) from three and 70.0% (7-10) from the line. Washington ended shooting 48.4% (31-64) from the field, 39.4% (13-33) from deep and 88.9% (16-19) from the free throw line.
Notes to know:
- Destiny Howell and Gift Uchenna notched 20+ point games with 28 and 24 points respectively. The last time Wisconsin had two players score 20+ points in singles games was at Minnesota on Feb. 11, 2023.
- Gift Uchenna season-high 24 points, 4th double double of season 25th of career
- Wisconsin set a new season-high three-point percentage with 50.0% (11-22)
Up Next: Wisconsin will head to Champaign, Illinois, on Wednesday, Feb. 11 to face the Fighting Illini. The game will tip at 6:00 p.m. CT on B1G+
