MADISON – This game of catch up isn’t working for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team.

For the second straight game, a slow start laid the foundation to a Big Ten loss. Tuesday in a New Year’s Eve late afternoon matinee at the Kohl Center the Badgers didn’t have a basket in the first quarter when they fell behind by as many as 21 points.

The result was an uphill climb for the final 30 minutes and in the end a 59-50 loss to Minnesota.

The recipe for defeat included 14 turnovers, seven in each half. Wisconsin also got out-worked on the boards and continued to struggle to get opportunities from three-point range.

As a result the Badgers (10-4 overall, 1-2 in the Big Ten) are searching for answers after getting off to the program’s best 12-game start in 15 years.

“It really starts in practice, everyone coming in hungry,” junior guard Ronnie Porter said. “Our last two games weren’t our best two games. Obviously you’ve seen from the beginning of the season until now a lot has changed and what we were good at we’re not doing now and it’s given us the results we’ve gotten these last two games.”

Wisconsin’s four-game winning streak over the Gophers snapped

Serah Williams, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, finished with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. Porter posted 13 points on 4-for-12 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists.

Minnesota (14-1, 2-1 Big Ten) never trailed. Three Gophers reached double figures including former Kettle Moraine standout Grace Grocholski, a 5-10 sophomore guard who finished with 12 points, went 2 for 5 from three-point range, and grabbed five rebounds.

Minnesota has played without standout Mara Braun (foot) but even without the 6-foot junior guard the Gophers had plenty of size inside and length across its lineup to make it difficult for Wisconsin to move the ball, get off passes cleanly and clean the boards as well as it would like.

“Honestly I think the biggest thing for us is we’ve killed people on the boards. We had four offensive rebounds (today)” Badgers coach Marisa Moseley said. “For us that is not our game. We’ve got to be able to go get second- and third-chance opportunities, getting to the free throw line.

“Starting down 19 points (after one quarter), you’re not going to win many games like that. I’ll take responsibility.  We’ve got to have better starts,”

At Indiana, the Badgers trailed by as many as 15 points in the first quarter before an 11-0 run allowed them to cut the lead to four. The Hoosiers led by 19 at the half.

Tuesday Minnesota enjoyed runs of 10 and 13 straight points in the first quarter. Wisconsin settled into the game in the second quarter, but never enough to pull closer than 13 points. The halftime deficit was 17.

UW had a few chances in the fourth quarter to pull to within 10 but the outcome was never in jeopardy down the stretch.

Cutting turnovers, increasing three-pointers key to improving

As Wisconsin tries to get back on track, two areas will be key.

* Turnovers. Williams finished with six to lead the Badgers for the second straight game. Porter had four for the second straight contest.

Williams has been getting smothered in the paint, which has caused her to attempt a lot of passes through traffic.

“I just think I’ve got to be more patient with it and see the thing develop,” she said.

* Three-point shooting: At one point this season the Badgers had a run of four straight games with at least 20 three-point attempts. Thursday marked fourth straight game they didn’t reach that mark.

UW had 12 attempts against Indiana, six less than its season average, and was on track for that total in the first half Tuesday before going 3 for 11 in the second half when they were playing catch up.

“We know how good we are and how good we can be,” Porter said. “These games just show us what we need to work on. We play in one of the best conferences in the country so it’s just about how we respond and be as one while respond.”

Upcoming Big Ten schedule filled with challenges

Porter isn’t kidding about the Big Ten.

Up next is a trip to west coast to face Oregon on Saturday and Washington on Tuesday. After that comes two games against opponents ranked in the USA Today coaches poll – vs. No. 7 Maryland Jan. 11 and No. 9 Ohio State Jan. 16 – before back-to-back road games at Nebraska Jan. 20 and Minnesota Jan. 26.

“You can’t ride that rollar coaster and be so high then get so low,” Moseley said. “We’ve got to find that midpoint to say, how do we dissect this and how do we get better.  

“We’ve got three months to figure this thing out. I told them that’s a lot of time and for us to continue to grow. We’ve made big leaps, but we obviously still have a long way to go to really become the team we want to become.”

Since New Year’s Day is the first of nearly a dozen federal holidays in 2025, some services — like mail delivery and Milwaukee’s public libraries — won’t be available.

But, despite the closures of some banks and the post office, many local stores will still be open.

Here’s what to know:

Are post offices open on New Year’s Day?

U.S. Postal Service (USPS) post offices will be closed and mail will not be delivered on New Year’s Day, the USPS told USA TODAY. The USPS will resume regular operations on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Are shipping services, like UPS and FedEx, available on New Year’s Day?

According to the UPS website, pickup and delivery services will not be available on New Year’s Day and store locations may also be closed.

FedEx pickup and delivery services will also be unavailable and locations will also be closed, according to the company’s website.

Are banks open on New Year’s Day?

Branches of Capital One, Bank of America, PNC, Truist and CitiBank, among others, will be closed, the banks confirmed to USA TODAY. 

Are federal and local government offices open on New Year’s Day?

Since New Year’s Day is a federal holiday, federal offices will be closed, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Wisconsin state government and Milwaukee city offices will also be closed.

Are local stores and other businesses open on New Year’s Day?

Most stores are open on New Year’s Day, though some have reduced hours.

For a list of grocery stores that are open, click here.

For a list of malls that are open, click here.

Are Milwaukee Public Schools open on New Year’s Day?

Milwaukee Public Schools will be closed on New Year’s Day, according to its districtwide calendar.

Are Milwaukee Public Libraries open on New Year’s Day?

Milwaukee Public Libraries will be closed on New Year’s Day, according to its website.

More: Milwaukee New Year’s Eve forecast features rain-snow mix, frigid temps later in the week

More: Is New Year’s Eve a federal holiday? What to know about the federal holidays in 2025

People with Type 2 diabetes can face stigma and even blame when health care providers see the disease as the result of poor diet instead of a chronic condition.

It’s a misconception that Dr. Elizabeth Mann, pediatric endocrinologist at UW Health, is trying to combat as a growing number of children and teens in Wisconsin are developing the disease.

“It’s not someone’s fault that they have (Type 2 diabetes),” said Mann. “It’s a metabolic difference that happens in their body. Blaming them for it and setting unrealistic expectations of what nutrition and lifestyle therapy will do for them only serves to sort of turn patients off to come in and see us.”

Over the last two decades in the U.S., the disease has not only become more common in people under age 18, but has also started to affect younger children, including those as young as 6 years old. The National Institutes for Health launched a nationwide study earlier this year to try to understand what is driving the disease in adolescents.

Mann leads UW Health’s Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes program, where she has been treating a growing number of kids in recent years. She said the program used to have around 20 children referred to them each year, but that number is now around 150 kids.

“Many kids with Type 2 diabetes across the state don’t have the ability to drive all the way to Madison,” she said, “So we’re also talking with family medicine providers and pediatricians around the state who are caring for these kids in their clinics, with support from us or on their own.”

Mann said when a person develops Type 2 diabetes at a young age, the disease is more aggressive and is more likely to lead to further complications like heart disease. That also means nutrition and lifestyle changes alone are not as effective at managing the disease as they are in adults.

She said treatment options for the disease has greatly improved thanks to the availability of new medications, referred to GLP-1 drugs, for children. 

But these drugs, sold under brands like Ozempic and Wegozy, have become controversial for their use in weight loss. Critics have questioned whether enough is known about the long-term health impacts of using these medications at a young age.

Mann said it’s difficult to get approval for the medication through Wisconsin’s Medicaid insurance program and the medications are only covered for a limited time. She said many private insurance companies will simply refuse to cover the treatment.

“When we can’t use evidence to help our patients access the right medication for them because of insurance limitations, it’s like we’re kind of fighting with our hands behind our backs,” she said. “That’s, I think, how our families are feeling too. There’s an option that could work for them, but it’s only covered for six months.”

As Wisconsin continues to see an increase in kids with Type 2 diabetes, Mann said she believes improving access to these medications is an important part of the state’ public health response. She also hopes to see increased screening and early recognition of the disease to ensure kids are getting the help they need.