| 1st | 2nd | Final | Wisconsin
| 31 | 22 | 53 | | Gonzaga | 28 | 34 | 62 | | | | Stats at a Glance
| WIS | GONZ | | FG Percentage | .408 | .393 | | 3-Point FG Percentage | 444 | .357 | | FT Percentage | .900 | .529 | | Offensive Rebounds | 9 | 18 | | Defensive Rebounds | 23 | 20 | | Total Rebounds | 32 | 38 | | Turnovers | 21 | 15 | | |
Nov. 16, 2012
SPOKANE, Wash. -- After a strong first half of action, Wisconsin couldn't keep the momentum going in the second, falling on the road to Gonzaga 62-53 at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. Friday night.
It was the Badgers' first loss of the season and for head coach Bobbie Kelsey the game was all about learning.
| Fast Facts | | • 15 of Morgan Paige's 20 points were scored in first half | | • Badgers led by 14, 31-17, with 4:13 remaining in first half | | • UW closes out road trip at Washington State on Sunday | |
"We're just learning how to be a team like Gonzaga," Kelsey commented. "They have a long history of doing well and we're learning.
"I thought that coming in here with 5,800 people and play to a nine point game (when) they had us by 14 points, says a lot about our growth as a team."
For the Badgers a 13-point first half run had them leading by 14, 31-17, with 4:13 remaining in the first half.
Much of UW's scoring came from junior Morgan Paige, who had 15 of her team-leading 20 points in the first 20 minutes.
For Kelsey, Paige's role as an offensive threat is something the team depends on.
"We depend upon Morgan her for that," Kelsey said. "We need some other people shooting 3s and getting some open looks. We had them; we just didn't knock them down."
Wisconsin watched its lead disappear as the Zags closed out the first half with an 11-point run to bring the score within three, 31-28, heading into halftime.
Gonzaga continued to stifle the Badgers' offense, scoring the first seven points of the second half to go ahead by four, 35-31, with 18:12 remaining in the game.
"Everybody (on Gonzaga's team) could shoot and we struggled to make shots but again, credit to Gonzaga," Kelsey continued." They did what they had to do to come back and take the lead."
Wisconsin tied the game twice, once at 37 and again at 40, before Gonzaga claimed the lead for good. The Zags went ahead by 14 twice, before a small run by the Badgers brought the game within nine, making the final score 62-53.
Paige led all scorers with 20 points, her second double-digit scoring performance of the season. Senior Taylor Wurtz led the Badgers with eight rebounds and finished with 12 points, while senior Tiera Stephen grabbed four steals.
Wisconsin was outrebounded, 38-32, and committed 21 as the Zags recorded 14 steals.
Wisconsin outshot Gonzaga 40.8 percent (20-49) to 39.3 percent (24-61) from the field, including a 4-of-9 performance from 3-point range. The Badgers were 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
Wisconsin wraps up its two-game road trip at Washington State on Sunday. Game time is 3 p.m. CT.
