Wisconsin
How Wisconsin women’s basketball erased a 17-point deficit to beat Penn State
MADISON – Wisconsin women’s basketball coach Marisa Moseley issued a challenge to her team after its blowout loss to Northwestern last week and after a slow start Sunday the Badgers answered the call.
UW trailed by 17 in the second quarter and by 14 at the half before a super-charged second half that led to a 69-64 victory over Penn State front of 4,519 at the Kohl Center. It was the Badgers’ biggest comeback victory of the season and a much-needed outcome for a team that lost by 24 points to Northwestern last Sunday.
“What we talked about after our last loss was that we have a decision to make…,” Moseley said. “It’s really cool to see them really decide to go this direction and really take charge, You’re in charge of your own destiny in the way that you play. It was really cool to see them take another step towards that this afternoon.”
The Badgers (11-11, 4-8 Big Ten) locked down defensively, received another big-time performance from sophomore Serah Williams and turned off the faucet of turnovers that played such a large role in the team’s slow start.
The result was Wisconsin’s most impressive win of the season. Penn State (16-8, 7-6) entered play tied for fourth in the Big Ten with four of its wins over teams that beat the Badgers this season.
BOX SCORE: Wisconsin 69, Penn State 64
Williams, the team’s 6-foot-4 sophomore forward, extended her streak of double-doubles to nine straight. Her 31 points and 15 rebounds each tied her career highs. She also blocked three shots and had four steals.
No other Badger scored in double figures, but there were some quality stat lines.
Sophomore guard Ronnie Porter: eight points, five assists, five steals; senior guard Natalie Leuzinger: seven points, three assists, zero turnovers; senior Halle Douglass: eight points on 3-for-3 shooting and six rebounds; and sophomore Sania Copeland: six points, five assists, four steals.
Defensively the Badgers held Penn State to 16.7% (2-for-12) shooting in the third quarter and 29.7% for the second half. After a scoring 40 points in the first half, the Nittany Lions took almost 15 minutes to score 10 during the second half.
Penn State’s inability to score also provided it fewer chances to set up its press, which played a big role in the Nittany Lions’ 21 fast break points. And even when the press was on UW handled it much better during the final 20 minutes.
Graduate student Ashley Owusu, a 6-0 guard, had 24 points for Penn State, 16 in the first half. Junior guard Leilani Kapinus, a graduate of Madison Memorial High School, finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The effort of those players and their teammates wasn’t a match for UW resolve on this day.
“The past few games we’ve been down a lot, but we learned from those games and then kind of forget about them,” Leuzinger said. “This was a whole new game, especially in the second half.”
Here is a look at how the Badgers scored the comeback.
Fast start to second half allows UW to cut into deficit quickly
Wisconsin trailed, 40-26, at the half but scored 13 points during the first 4 minutes of the second half to get the deficit down to three points. For the sake of comparison, the Badgers managed 12 points in the first quarter and 14 in the second.
The Badgers had come all the way back by the 4:46 mark of the quarter when they grabbed their first lead of the night, 43-42, on a layup by Williams that came off a Porter steal.
The beginning of the first half was a 180-degree turn from the start of the game when Penn State hit its first seven shots and led by 11 points after 3 ½ minutes.
“Just being able to come out like that it just shows that we’re capable of doing that in any situation like that during the game,” Leuzinger said. “It just not only brings a lot of momentum for this game but for the next couple of games we have.”
Serah Williams’ dominance showed in the second half
Williams’ stat line from the second half was impressiver: 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting with nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. She also didn’t turn the ball over in the second half after having four in the first half, an improvement she credited to better communication in the second half.
Her production was consistent throughout the second half. She had 11 points and hit five of six shots in the third quarter. In the fourth, she had 12 points and went 3 for 3 from the floor and 6 for 6 from the free throw line.
Her ninth double-double moved her out of a tie for the all-time mark by Milwaukee native Theresa Huff, who set the mark during the 1982-83 season.
“I was just trying to play my game and be consistent with how I play all season,” Williams said. “I know if I just bring that intensity I can help my team the best way I can. … I didn’t really catch the ball in the paint today. It was just running and trusting my teammates to get me the ball where I could (make a move).”
Wisconsin did the job defensively down the stretch
Wisconsin went from trailing by 17 to leading by eight, 55-47, with 8 minutes left. Penn State, however, was due for a run and it came through with 10-2 spurt to tie the game with 3:20 to play. The game was also tied at 60 with 2:54 to go.
The Badgers closed the game with stops on five of their final seven defensive possessions. Four of those stops came when it was a one-possession game.
UW also went 7 for 7 from the line with freshman D’Yanis Jimenez giving her team its final margin of victory with two free throws with 3 seconds left.
“I wrote on the board before the game the word relentless and in my pre-game speech I told our team in order to win this game we have to be relentless,” Moseley said. “Relentless in the way we pursue the ball. Relentless in how we play defense, taking care of the ball. Every loose ball, every hustle play had to be ours … I couldn’t be more proud of the complete team effort. It really did take the entire group.”
Wisconsin
Tranfser Portal Predcition: Wisconsin trasnfer John Blackwell likely to land with contender
John Blackwell is one of the more sought-after players still available in the NCAA transfer portal. Big-time programs are coming after the former Wisconsin Badgers guard. And now, On3’s Joe Tipton is calling his shot on where Blackwell will end up.
Tipton has put in an RPM for Blackwell to commit and sign with the Duke Blue Devils. His level of confidence sits at 60%. If Duke head coach Jon Scheyer can get this one over the finish line, it could prove to be a massive addition.
“Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell is one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal,” Tipton said. “The 6-foot-4 shooting guard took an official visit to Duke on Monday and the Blue Devils are carrying the momentum in this recruitment. I’ve officially placed an RPM prediction in favor of Duke to ultimately land the star transfer.”
The On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings have Blackwell slotted as the No. 5 overall player to enter this cycle. Just looking at shooting guards, only one guy is ahead of him — Wake Forest‘s Juke Harris.
Blackwell spent three seasons in Madison before entering the transfer portal. He was in double figures over the last two years, averaging 19.1 points during the 2025-2026 campaign. Duke will enjoy his efficiency as well, shooting 43% from the field and 38.9% behind the three-point line.
There is more to what Blackwell can do than just shoot, though. He snagged just over five rebounds and dished out 2.3 assists per game.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Before the RPM pick from Tipton, the latest update on where things stood with Blackwell came on Saturday. Tipton laid out who else is still considered to be in the running, including a visit schedule for the Wisconsin transfer. You can check out the full piece of intel here.
Duke has turned into one of the more consistent programs in college basketball, playing at a high level under Scheyer. The last three seasons have resulted in at least an Elite Eight appearance, even making the Final Four in 2025. Still, the expectations in Durham are to win a national championship. Maybe Blackwell is the guy who can help them take the next step forward.
Wisconsin
Rubber bullet carnage as 1,000 animal welfare activists storm beagle breeding lab in Wisconsin | Fortune
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
“I just feel defeated,” activist Julie Vrzeski told the newspaper about three hours into the operation after no dogs had been successfully seized.
Activists later moved from the Ridglan facility to protest outside the jail in downtown Madison.
The group Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs had publicized plans to seize the dogs Sunday but launched its operation a day earlier. The X account of the group’s leader, Wayne Hsiung, posted a picture of him being arrested.
The sheriff’s department said a person who “recklessly” drove a pickup through the front gate of the property was arrested, “preventing a potentially deadly outcome.”
Protesters broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs. Twenty-seven people were arrested on trespassing and other charges.
Ridglan has denied mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website it says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
Wisconsin
Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
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