Jan. 16, 2011
Michigan 75, Wisconsin 59
Crisler Center • Ann Arbor, Mich.
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| 1st | 2nd | Final | | Wisconsin (9-9, 4-2) | 22 | 37 | 59 | | Wisconsin (10-7, 3-2) | 35 | 40 | 75 | | | | Stats at a Glance
| WIS | MICH | FG Percentage
| .455 | .473 | | 3-Point FG Percentage | .333 | .458 | | FT Percentage | .667 | .800 | Offensive Rebounds
| 6 | 7 | | Defensive Rebounds | 25 | 24 | | Total Rebounds | 31 | 31 | Turnovers
| 16 | 9 | Assists
| 16 | 17 | Steals
| 5 | 8 | | |
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• Box Score | Box Score 
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - A slow first half and poor defensive effort caused the Wisconsin women's basketball team to fall at Michigan 75-59 Sunday afternoon. The loss drops the Badgers to 9-9 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten Conference, into third place.
Fast Facts
| • Three Badgers score in double figures
| • Michigan hits 11 3-pointers to key win
| • Wisconsin shoots season low 2-of-3 for free throws
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"Defensively, we weren't at our best today and offensively, we were hesitant in the first half shooting the ball," said UW coach Lisa Stone.
The Badgers shot just 35.7 percent (10-of-28) from the field in the first period while the Wolverines (10-7, 3-2) hit 46.4 percent (13-of-28) in the first stanza. Michigan took a 35-22 lead at the half after shooting 7-of-16 from 3-point range.
"When Michigan makes shots, they're really tough to beat," said Stone. "You've seen that in some of the games they've played and they shot lights out today."
Wisconsin led 3-2 off a 3-point basket from Jade Davis at 18:56 but Michigan went on a 8-0 run to take a 10-3 lead with 15:57 to play in the half. The Wolverines took their biggest lead of the half at 26-11 as Kate Thompson and Sam Arnold hit back-to-back 3-pointers with 5:50 to go. The Badgers cut the lead to eight (26-18) off buckets from Alyssa Karel, Lin Zastrow and Tara Steinbauer but Michigan outscored Wisconsin 9-4 over the final three minutes to lead at the half.
"I thought our players in the first half were hesitant shooting the ball," said Stone. "(Michigan) really clogged up the lane, really did a great job of taking our inside game away and dared our shooters to shoot and we were hesitant. There you see (we were) 1-for-9 from three in the first half."
Michigan led by 19 points twice early in the second half, including at 50-31 with 14:55 to play, and had an 18-point lead (58-40) with 10:31 to go. The Badgers rallied, outscoring the Wolverines 14-3, to pull within seven (61-54) with 5:10 left in the game.
"We tried to get (Michigan's lead down) to 10 at 10 minutes," said Stone. "We did find some offense in the second half. We found a little hidden secret in Jada Buggs, (who) gave us a great lift off the bench."
Buggs scored five points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from the line, all within a three-minute stretch late in the game.
Despite the late comeback, Wisconsin could get no closer as turnovers and missed shots stopped the rally. Michigan outscored the Badgers 14-5 over the final five minutes.
"(Michigan) made some tough shots (but) our defense broke down as well," said Stone. "We gave up 75 points, that's 30 more than we've given up the last couple of games.
"On the road, you really have to flex your muscles defensively and I didn't think we did a very good job of that today."
The Badgers improved offensively in the second half, shooting 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field to hit 45.5 percent for the game. Wisconsin was 6-of-12 from 3-point range in the second half to end up at 33.3 percent for the game. The Badgers shot a season low 2-of-3 from the free throw line.
Michigan shot 47.3 percent from the field for the game and 45.8 percent from 3-point land, making 4-of-8 for the second half. The Wolverines took advantage of Wisconsin being in foul trouble in the second period, going 12-of-15 from the line in the game after shooting 2-of-4 at the half.
Both teams had three players score in double figures and Wisconsin was led by Taylor Wurtz with 14 points, all in the second half. Karel added 13 points and Steinbauer chipped in 10.
Michigan was led by Veronica Hicks with 21 points, including five 3 pointers. Carmen Reynolds added 20 points, including three 3-pointers, while Courtney Boylan contributed 12 points.
Both teams tallied 31 rebounds with Zastrow leading the Badgers with seven boards. Hicks led all players with 10 rebounds to record a double-double.
Wisconsin turned the ball over 16 times but Michigan tallied just nine turnovers, tying a season low for UW opponents.
The Badgers dished off 16 assists while the Wolverines had 17 dimes.
"We'll rebound back from this (since) we have a short turnaround to another game on the road," said Stone. "For us, we have to get back to our defensive basics."
UW wraps up its two-game road swing on Thursday, playing at Minnesota. The Badgers and Golden Gophers face each other for the second time in just 12 days. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. from Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
