Wisconsin

Ronnie Porter’s, Natalie Leuzinger’s big nights lead our takeaways from UW hoop’s second win

Published

1 year ago

November 10, 2023

Ronnie Porter’s, Natalie Leuzinger’s big nights lead our takeaways from UW hoop’s second win

MADISON – As promising as Serah Williams might be, it’s unrealistic to think she’ll be able to lead the Wisconsin women’s basketball every night.

Thursday we got a glimpse at what the Badgers could look like in those games when the 6-foot-4 forward doesn’t have her typical production.

It didn’t look too bad.

The Badgers got career scoring highs from sophomore guard Ronnie Porter and senior guard Natalie Leuzinger and had four players in double figures overall in a 74-52 victory over Western Illinois in front of a crowd of 3,058 at the Kohl Center.

Leuzinger scored a career-high 13 points. She hit 4 of 10 shots and was 3 for 9 from three-point range. She entered the day with just 5 for 20 three-point range for her career.

The 5-foot-4 Porter raised her career-high to 12 points while also establishing career bests in rebounds (13) and steals (five).

Wisconsin also got double-digit efforts from senior Brooke Schramek (10) and sophomore Sania Copeland (10). Freshman point guard D’Yanis Jimenez (nine points, five assists) had a solid second game and freshman forward Tessa Grady came off the bench late to go 3 for 3 from three-point range in just 3 ½ minutes of action

Seven players in all had at least seven points with two of team’s lesser-heralded players leading the way,

“I can confidently say (Ronnie has) been underestimated her whole life due to her size and that wasn’t something that deterred me,” Wisconsin coach Marisa Moseley said. “She’s a true competitor and I think the same thing with Nat.

“The two of them to set the tone for us in a game when you’ve got to be alert all the time. When you play a team that runs motion for 40 minutes there’s no breaks, no set plays. Your head has to be on a swivel.”

Here are three takeaways from the victory.

Ronnie Porter, a beast on the boards

The beauty of Porter’s career night was that it came as she continued to provide the hustle plays that have helped her earn a spot in the starting lineup.

She hit 5 of 11 shots and recorded three assists. Her rebounding proves height doesn’t always matter when it comes to that statistic. Her quickness helps. So does some stubbornness.

“People don’t look at me like she’s going to get 13 rebounds, so I did,” she said. “For me it’s giving 100 (percent) every possession, never give up on a play. I think that’s what I did.”

Balance shows during key run

The Badgers’ balance was especially evident during a 17-2 run to end the first half. UW went from trailing, 20-17, with 6 minutes 11 seconds left to leading, 34-22, at the break.

Five players scored during the run: Schramek (five), Porter (four), Leuzinger (three), Williams (three) and Jimenez (two).

The streak came after UW survived an early rash of turnovers that contributed to the team’s slow start in the quarter (10 points), a turnaround Copeland believes is a sign of the team’s growing maturity.

“Last year it would have been a different game for us,” Copeland said. “Us being so young and being able to push past adversity and making these runs is really big for us.

Serah Williams makes impact without her usual point production

Williams was still feeling the effects of the hard fall she experienced Tuesday against UWM. She finished with seven points on 3-for-5 shooting.

Despite not being as aggressive as normal offensively, she played 29 minutes grabbed six rebounds. Just having her on the floor helped collapse Western Illinois defense when the Badgers had the ball and when they didn’t her size still impacted play.

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Wisconsin

New offensive staff at Wisconsin intrigues four-star QB Trae Taylor

Published

41 minutes ago

January 27, 2025

Press Room

New offensive staff at Wisconsin intrigues four-star QB Trae Taylor

Wisconsin, led by first-year position coach Kenny Guiton, offered Trae Taylor on Jan. 10.

On Monday, the four-star quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class took an unofficial visit with the Badgers. Taylor, from Carmel Catholic in Illinois, previously camped with the Badgers and visited for a game at Camp Randall in October of 2023.

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Wisconsin

How to watch, stream Wisconsin women’s basketball vs. Michigan: TV channel, prediction

Published

12 hours ago

January 27, 2025

Press Room

How to watch, stream Wisconsin women’s basketball vs. Michigan: TV channel, prediction

If the Wisconsin women are going to right the ship, they are going to need to get going in a hurry.

Coming off an eighth straight loss, the Badgers (10-10, 1-8) welcome in Michigan on Wednesday.

The good news for Wisconsin is they play three of the next four at home. The bad news, though, is those include matchups with recently ranked Michigan and national title contender USC.

Troubles continued for the Badgers over the weekend, as they were blown out at Minnesota by 21 points. They have not had a game decided by less than 10 since a December 31 loss to Minnesota by nine.

Michigan (14-6, 5-4) saw its four-game win streak come to an end at the hands of Michigan State, 88-58. They topped Minnesota by five during the run and are led by Olivia Olson, who averages just under 16 points per game.

The ESPN BPI gives Michigan a 93 percent chance to win the game.

Here are details on how to watch Wisconsin vs. Michigan on Wednesday, Jan. 29:

Who: Wisconsin vs. Michigan in Big Ten Conference women’s basketball action

When: 6:30 p.m CT | Wednesday, January 29

Where: Kohl Center | Madison, Wisconsin

Live Stream: Stream Wisconsin vs. Michigan live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TV Channel: BIG+

Our Prediction: Michigan 74, Wisconsin 60

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin 83-55 Nebraska (Jan 26, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN

Published

24 hours ago

January 26, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin 83-55 Nebraska (Jan 26, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN

MADISON, Wis. — — John Tonje scored 27 points and No. 18 Wisconsin never trailed while routing Nebraska 83-55 on Sunday to hand the Cornhuskers their sixth consecutive loss.

Wisconsin (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten) bounced back from an 85-83 loss at UCLA that snapped a seven-game winning streak.

Wisconsin grabbed a 19-2 lead less than five minutes into the game by shooting 7 of 8 from the floor and 5 of 6 on 3-pointers. Nebraska responded with a 19-5 spurt that included Wisconsin going scoreless for over six minutes, but the Badgers answered with a 16-2 run and never looked back.

John Blackwell scored 14 points and Kamari McGee added 11 for Wisconsin.

Brice Williams had 11 points to lead Nebraska (12-8, 2-7). Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian scored eight points while facing his former team for the first time.

Takeaways

Nebraska: In four of its losses during this skid, Nebraska was within one possession in the final 10 seconds of regulation time. But this game wasn’t competitive, even as the slumping Cornhuskers shuffled their lineup by giving Sam Hoiberg and Andrew Morgan their first starts of the season.

Wisconsin: The Badgers are in the midst of an eight-game stretch in which they play at home only twice, so they need to make the most of these rare Kohl Center appearances. They did just that Sunday.

Key moment

Wisconsin led 25-21 when Jack Janicki converted a steal into a dunk on the other end with less than five minutes left in the first half. Janicki’s big play sparked a 16-2 spurt that gave Wisconsin a 17-point advantage.

Key stats

Wisconsin shot 17 of 37 from 3-point range to match its third-highest, single-game total for 3-pointers in school history.

Up next

Wisconsin visits Maryland on Wednesday. Nebraska is at No. 17 Illinois on Thursday.

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