2018-19 Award Winners

All-Big Ten

Marsha Howard: Second Team (Media);    Honorable Mention (Coaches   Imani Lewis: Honorable Mention (Media)

Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll

Marsha Howard, Nov. 12  Marsha Howard, Feb. 17

Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Imani Lewis, Nov. 26

Big Ten Sportsmanship Award

Kendra Van Leeuwen

Academic All-Big Ten

Niya Beverley Courtney Fredrickson Suzanne Gilreath Kelly Karlis Abby Laszewski Grace Mueller Lexy Richardson Kendra Van Leeuwen

Challenge in the Music City All-Tournament

Marsha Howard, MVP Kendra Van Leeuwen

A GREAT SEASON COMPLETE

• Wisconsin wrapped up its most successful seasons in nearly a decade, finishing the season with a 15-18 mark, the most wins since 2010-11. The Badgers also went 4-14 in Big Ten play, surpassing their B1G win total from the last three seasons and winning four conference games for the first time since 2014-15.
• The Badgers advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2013. Wisconsin won two tournament games for the first time since 2009. UW was seeded No. 13 in the tournament, upsetting No. 12 Penn State before downing No. 5 Ohio State in the second round. The Badgers fell to No. 4 Michigan in double overtime in the quarterfinals.
• Senior Marsha Howard earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, the first Badger named second team since 2014. She earns her second-straight All-Big Ten honor after being named honorable mention in 2018. Freshman Imani Lewis earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors, the first Badger freshman to earn All-Big Ten honors since Jolene Anderson earned third-team honors in 2005.   
• Eight members of the team were named Academic All-Big Ten. Redshirt senior Kelly Karlis, senior Lexy Richardson, juniors Courtney Fredrickson, Suzanne Gilreath, Abby Laszewski and Kendra Van Leeuwen as well as sophomores Niya Beverley and Grace Mueller were recognized.
• The Badgers recorded two come-from-behind victories during the season, rallying from 10-or-more points in both games. UW trailed by 13 points in the second quarter vs. Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin also rallied from a 14-point deficit against Nebraska on Jan. 27 to win on a buzzer beater by Kelly Karlis.
• Imani Lewis set three UW freshman season records. The 6-foot-2 forward set rookie season records from free throws made (102), free-throws attempted (72) and rebounds (244).  Lewis also ranks in the top five in points, rebounds per game and blocks.
• The Badgers averaged just 11.0 turnovers per game in the Big Ten Tournament to finish the season with 14.9 giveaways per game on the season. That mark ranks fourth on the UW season record list. Wisconsin turned the ball over just five times against OSU on March 7, matching the lowest single-game total in program history and also matching a Big Ten Tournament record.
• Wisconsin totaled 163 blocks on the season, which ranks second on the UW season record list. UW averaged 4.9 blocks per game, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 25th nationally. That mark is also seventh on the UW season record list. Junior Abby Laszewski tied for 10th in the conference with 1.4 blocks per game, ranking 87th nationally with 46 total blocks.  

WISCONSIN SHOWS BIG IMPROVEMENT
UW had its best season in eight years, winning 15 games for the first time since 2010-11. The Badgers also surpassed their Big Ten win total from the last three seasons. The last time UW won four-or-more conference games was in 2014-15.

BG TEN TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
The Badgers advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2013. Wisconsin won two tournament games for the first time since 2009. UW was seeded No. 13 in the tournament, upsetting No. 12 Penn State before downing No. 5 Ohio State in the second round. The Badgers fell to No. 4 Michigan in double overtime in the quarterfinals.

The victory over No. 5 Ohio State was UW's highest win over a higher-ranked opponent since defeating No. 5 Purdue in 2010. Prior to Wisconsin's victory over Penn State on Wednesday, a No. 13 seed had never won a game in the tournament since the addition of Rutgers and Maryland in 2015, let alone two games (0-4 from 2015-18, 2-0 this year).

A DIFFERENCE OF A FEW POINTS
The Badgers dropped 11 games this season by 10-or-fewer points, including two games by two-or-fewer points. Wisconsin fell to Arkansas, 69-68, in the third round of the Challenge in the Music City on Nov. 25. UW also fell at Ohio State, 70-68, on Feb. 17.

The Badgers dropped seven Big Ten games this season by 10-or-fewer points.

HOWARD WRAPS UP SUCCESSFUL CAREER
Senior Marsha Howard wrapped up her career, ranking among the top UW players in scoring and rebounds. She also earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and was named to the Big Ten Honor Roll twice this season. The 6-foot forward picked up her 1,000th career point at Ohio State on Feb. 17, becoming the 26th Badger to hit the grand mark when she converted on a three-point play with 6:10 to play in the third quarter. She finished her career with 1,121 points, which ranks 21st on the UW record list. Howard is just the 15th Badger to earn 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in a career, finishing with 694 boards, which ranks 10th all time.

Howard also ranks 10th at UW in career field goal percentage at .486 (464-955), 10th in rebounds per game (6.37), and 10th with 15 double-doubles. Howard scored a career-high 30 points against Michigan on Feb. 3. She is the first Badger to score 30-or-more points in a game since Cayla McMorris scored 31 points vs. Saint Francis on Nov. 13, 2016. Howard also tied her career high with 15 rebounds at Penn State on Jan. 3.

On the season, she averaged a team-best 14.7 points per game, which tied for ninth in the Big Ten. Howard also tied for sixth in the B1G with 9.0 rebounds per game, eighth in field goal percentage at .470, and tied for eighth in steals per game (1.7). In conference-only games, Howard ranked ninth in points per game (14.9), seventh in rebounds per game (8.0), seventh in field goal percentage (.488) and fifth in steals per game (2.0).

KILLER KELLY
Kelly Karlis had the best season of her career as a redshirt senior. The 6-foot-2 guard put up a season-best 8.6 points per game while averaging a season-best 2.3 assists per set, tallying a season best 75 dimes, more than her first three seasons combined. The guard also had 37 blocks this season, surpassing her junior season total of 34.

Karlis recorded her first double-double as a Badger and just the second of her career with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Michigan State on Feb. 14. She led Wisconsin over Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament with a career-high 24 points, shooting a career-best 4-4 from 3-point range.

On the season, Karlis added 5.0 rebounds per game and 1.1 blocks per game. She tied her career best with five blocks vs. MSU on Feb. 14.

MAN, OH MAN IMANI!
Freshman Imani Lewis earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors, the first Badger freshman to earn All-Big Ten honors since Jolene Anderson earned third-team honors in 2005.  Lewis was the only Big Ten freshmen who ranked in the top six in eight rookie statistical categories—points (3rd/12.2), rebounds (3rd/7.6), steals (T2nd/1.2), blocks (5th/0.8), offensive rebounds (3rd/2.8), defensive rebounds (3rd/4.8), minutes (6th/27.4) and free-throw percentage (3rd/.593). Big Ten Statistics

She scored in double figures in 23 games, ranking second on the team with 12.2 points per game. Lewis also had double-figure rebounds in six games to rank second on the team with 7.6 boards per game.
In Big Ten-only games, Lewis ranked fourth among rookies in points per game (11.9) and tied for third in rebounds per game (7.1). Lewis was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Nov. 26, becoming the first Badger rookie honored since Nicole Bauman was named the Freshman of the Week on Dec. 2, 2012.

MARSHA, MARSHA, MARSHA!
Senior Marsha Howard was one of only three Big Ten players who ranked in the top 10 in six statistical categories in conference-only games. She joins Iowa's Megan Gustafson (7 categories) and Minnesota's Destiny Pitts (6 categories) to rank among the top conference players.

Howard tied for fourth in offensive rebounds (2.8), ranked fifth in steals per game (2.0), seventh in field goal percentage (.488), seventh in rebounds per game (8.0), tied for eighth in defensive rebounds (5.2) and ranked ninth in points per game (14.9). Big Ten Statistics

LEWIS SETS THREE FRESHMAN RECORDS
Imani Lewis set three UW freshman season records in 2018-19. The 6-foot-2 forward set rookie season records for free-throws made (102), free-throws attempted (72) and rebounds (244).  
Lewis finished the season ranked in the top five in points, rebounds per game and total blocks.

TOUGH DEFENSE FROM DEEP
UW ranked second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal defense, allowing foes to shoot just 30.6 percent (191-625) from behind the arc. The Badgers also ranked fourth in field goal defense as opponents shoot 38.7 percent (759-1960). In Big Ten-only games, Wisconsin fell to seventh in 3-point defense at .338 (103-314) and 12th in field goal defense at .435 (468-1076).

The Badgers held their last two Big Ten opponents—Ohio State (61 points) and Michigan (59 points)–to Big Ten opponent season lows. UW held four opponents under 30 percent from the field this season and 15 opponents under 40 percent. From 3-point range, six foes shot under 20 percent, 17 under 30 percent, and 29 of 33 under 40 percent.

DOMINATING BOARDS
UW ranked 37th nationally total rebounds, tallying 1,354 on the year, which ranks third on the Wisconsin season record list. The Badgers also ranked 44th nationally and ranked sec ond in the Big Ten with 41.0 boards per game. The Badgers outrebounded 17 of 33 opponents this season but were outboarded by 11 of 18 Big Ten foes.

Senior Marsha Howard tied for sixth in the Big Ten and 70th nationally with 9.0 rebounds per game. Freshman Imani Lewis ranked 10th in the Big Ten with 7.6 boards per game.

Wisconsin recorded a season-high 71 rebounds vs. Winthrop on Nov. 8, which ranks second on the UW single-game record list. The Badgers also had 68 boards vs. Marshall on Dec. 4, which ranks fourth on the record list. The Badgers had 50-or-more rebounds in four games this season and 40-or-more boards in 16 games.

IN THE NATIONAL STATS
UW ranked 37th nationally total rebounds, tallying 1,354 on the year. The Badgers also ranked 44th nationally and second in the Big Ten with 41.0 boards per game. The Badgers ranked 18th with 150 total blocks while ranking 25th nationally with 5.0 blocks per game. Wisconsin was also 19th in the nation with 692 free-throw attempts, 100th in free throws made with 409, and 93rd in total assists with 458. NCAA Statistics

Senior Marsha Howard ranked 56th with 296 total rebounds and 70th with 9.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore Niya Beverley ranked 77th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.9 while junior Abby Laszewski ranked 97th with 46 total blocks. Junior Kendra Van Leeuwen ranked 96th nationally with 140 total assists this season.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Badgers had 19 double-doubles this season, including 10 from senior Marsha Howard and five from freshman Imani Lewis. Wisconsin had the most double-doubles in a season since 2013-14, when it had 20 double-doubles.

BADGERS HAVE BEST SEASONS
Seven returnees had the best seasons of their careers in 2018-19.

• Sophomore Niya Beverley averaged a career best 7.6 points per game while shooting a season-best .382 (84-220) from the field, including .356 (21-59) from 3-point range. The guard is also shooting a season-best .606 (40-66) from the free-throw line and tied her season high with three blocks.
• Sophomore Kara Crowley put up a season-best 1.2 points per game. She also made her first two 3-pointers this season and added her first two assists.
• Junior Suzanne Gilreath averaged a season-best 1.4 rebounds per game. The guard also has just the second block of her career. She shot a season-best 92.3 percent (12-13) from the free-throw line.
• Senior Marsha Howard averaged a season-best 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. The forward made the first 10 3-pointers of her career, shooting .417 (10-24) from 3-point range. Howard had 31 blocks this season, nearly as many as her first three seasons combined (32). She also had 44 steals this year, nearly as many as her first three seasons combined (63).
• Redshirt senior Kelly Karlis put up a season-best 8.6 points per game while averaging a season-best 2.3 assists per set, tallying a season best 75 dimes, more than her first three seasons combined (45). The guard also had 37 blocks this season, surpassing her junior season total of 34.
• Junior Abby Laszewski tallied a season-best 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She  had 46 blocks this season, more than her first two seasons combined (33).
• Junior Kendra Van Leeuwen averaged a season-best 3.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. She had 140 assists this season, which surpasses her sophomore year total (81) and her freshman season total (102). The guard also shot a season-best .644 (38-59) from the free-throw line.

WE LIKE IT AT HOME!
Wisconsin finished its 2018-19 home season with a 10-6 mark, its most home victories since 2008-09 when the Badgers were 12-5.
UW's best record in the Kohl Center is 17-3 (.850) in 2006-07.

TAKING DOWN A RANKED TEAM
After jumping out to an 8-0 lead, Wisconsin was nearly unstoppable, taking down its first ranked team since 2013. The Badgers upended No. 24 Michigan State, 79-62, in the Kohl Center on Feb. 14.
The last time UW defeated a ranked team was Jan. 31, 2013, when it defeated No. 7 Penn State, 63-61, at home.

GAME WINNER FOR KARLIS
For the first time in her career, redshirt senior Kelly Karlis scored a game-winning basket as time was running out. With 0.7 seconds on the clock vs. Nebraska on Jan. 27, Niya Beverley inbounded the ball to Karlis, who immediately put up her game-winning 3-pointer. It was Karlis' first triple of the game and only the second of the game for the Badgers. The 6-foot-2 guard finished the game with eight points.

TWO COME-FROM-BEHIND WINS
Trailing by 14 points early in the third quarter, the Badgers used a second-half comeback to defeat Nebraska in a buzzer beater, 70-69, in the Kohl Center on Jan. 27.

Wisconsin trailed by 13 points in the second quarter against Ohio State but rallied to defeat the Buckeyes, 73-63, in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 7.  

The 14-point come-from-behind win was the fifth best in program history, while the 13-point victory was the sixth best in history.