MADISON – Life on the road continues to be rough for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team.
The Badgers dropped to 2-7 in opposing arenas with a 92-60 loss to Illinois on Feb. 11 at State Farm Arena in Champaign, Illinois. The loss marked the Badgers’ fourth Big Ten road loss by at least 25 points.
Freshman center Dorja Zaja finished with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Senior forward Gift Uchenna added 13 points, but nine came in the second half when UW trailed by as many as 41 points.
Wisconsin’s top two scorers, Destiny Howell and Kyrah Daniels, combined for nine points on 3-for-20 shooting overall that included 1-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Daniels led the Badgers in assists (five) and tied for second in rebounding (six).
Wisconsin coach Robin Pingeton thought her team’s troubles started in practices following its overtime loss to then-No. 25 Washington on Feb. 8
“We had two days of practice that just were flat and not in a way of feeling sorry for ourselves that we didn’t get the win but exhauston.,” Pingeton said on the Badgers postgame radio show. “And so how do you pick yourself up and get yourself ready to go battle again?
“That’s truly where I thought the game was lost, before we even stepped between the lines. It’s a great group of girls. We love them to death. It’s a special locker room for sure, but, you’ve got to learn to through the fires.”
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Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Illinois shooters make Wisconsin pay
The Illini feature a strong interior presence led by 6-foot-3 freshman Cearah Parchment. The team also entered play averaging a league-low 16.9 3-pointers per game and ranking 14th in 3-point percentage (33.3%).
The Badgers went with a zone defense early and Illinois sank 4 of 8 3-point attempts in the first quarter. They never cooled off. Illinois’ 64.7% 3-point shooting (11 for 17) tied its season high.
Sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton, who entered play 32.4% from 3, went 6 for 6 and scored a career-high 22 points.
Freshman Dorja Zaja offers bright spot for Badgers
The presence of so many bigs for Illinois created an opportunity for Zaja to get more minutes and she made the most of them.
Her points as well as her field goals and field goal attempts were season highs. Her 19 minutes equaled the most she has played this season.
It was as aggressive offensively as she’s been.
“She’s got a high IQ,” Pingeton said. “She lets the game come to her versus forcing the action, not rushing.”
UW keeps turnovers low, hits offensive glass but does little with chances
Wisconsin produced some good statistics. It finished with just 11 turnovers, its lowest road total this season. It also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.
But true to the night, UW couldn’t do anything with the extra possessions. The Badgers had just 11 second-chance points and had a tough time getting space and time for their shots. Statistically, Wisconsin’s 36.9% shooting was Illinois’ best game of defense since the conference opener versus Indiana
