The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team dropped farther into a losing streak after suffering another blowout loss to Minnesota.
Three weeks ago the Badgers shipped up to the Williams Arena to face Minnesota in Minneapolis in what was supposed to be a test for Wisconsin. However, the Badgers scored just 53 points and did not lead at all during the game as the Golden Gophers put together a 35-point lead to finish off the contest. The team left Minneapolis disappointed with the loss, but prepared for another look at their opponent later in the season.
During the second game, Wisconsin came out swinging and managed to put together a 10-point lead over the Golden Gophers early. Wisconsin quickly faded and Minnesota managed to put themselves into the driver’s seat for the entirety of the second-half of play. The Badgers dropped to 13-13 on the season and 12th in the Big Ten Conference standings as a tough final three game stretch looms for the team.
Wisconsin Badgers Drop Minnesota Golden Gophers Challenge, Move to 13-13
For the Badgers, the loss started and ended with sloppy ball-handling as 21 turnovers on offense is a hard statistic to overcome. Wisconsin only made 23 field goals against Minnesota to make matters worse as the Golden Gophers additionally recorded more rebounds and assists.
Despite showing flashes at times this season, veteran guard Destiny Howell has faced her own struggles from the field that have impacted the offense overall. Howell was consistent through the initial portion of the Big Ten Conference schedule, averaging 14.9 points per game at her height, but following a 39-point outburst against Oregon the guard has been on a downwards trend. Howell has 51 points in four games in the month of February while being held to just eight points in her last two games.
The Badgers’ Head Coach Robin Pingeton experimented with the lineup during the game as the bench received extended action once again. Guard Breauna Ware notably played just six minutes again for the Badgers as her former role within the team appears to have been eliminated. The combination of Ware and Ronnie Porter, who are both below 5-foot-8, was a concern previously on defense but the Badgers have not necessarily improved even with a slightly taller lineup out on the court.
Unfortunately for Wisconsin the loss comes at a poor time as the Badgers have virtually no momentum heading into the conference and postseason tournament portion of the year. While not being favored to defeat the Golden Gophers, Minnesota was likely the last winnable game on the schedule for Wisconsin with USC (Away), #2 UCLA (Away), and #13 Iowa (Home) remaining.
The Trojans are currently 16-9 on the year with a conference record of 8-6 that includes wins over NC State, Nebraska, and Iowa, who were all ranked at the time of the games.
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