Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Mounts 19-Point Comeback in WNIT Win

Team Leaders

• Ronnie Porter: 19 points (7-of-15 FG, 2-of-5 3P), four rebounds (one offensive), three assists, one steal (played all 40 minutes)
• Serah Williams: 24 points (6-of-14 FG, 12-of-13 FT), 11 rebounds (three offensive), one assist, two steals, seven blocks (17th straight double-double)
• Sania Copeland: 12 points (4-of-8 FG, 2-of-6 3P), five rebounds (one offensive), three assists, two steals
• Natalie Leuzinger: seven points (2-of-5 FG, 0-of-2 3P), two rebounds, three assists, three steals

Southern Indiana Team Leaders

• Ali Saunders: 18 points (5-of-8 FG, 5-of-5 3P), one rebound (one offensive), two steals
• Chloe Gannon: 11 points (4-of-11 FG), seven rebounds (five offensive), one block, two steals

Three-ish Thoughts on the Badgers Win Over Southern Indiana

1. Sania Copeland is such a difference-maker for this team. She made multiple game-altering plays for the Badgers on Monday, not the least of which was her third quarter buzzer-beating three pointer that gave UW momentum heading into the final frame.

She was a defensive menace, per usual, and her steal halfway through the fourth quarter which led to her making a three on the next UW possession to pull the Badgers within two points of USI was a massive sequence. Copeland is a winning basketball player who makes winning plays and she is crucial to Wisconsin’s success.

After thinking about it a bit I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that Copeland’s shot saved this season. I am in a vocal, active group chat specifically about Wisconsin’s WBB and people were, uh, losing faith in the first half. All of the goodwill that had been built up this year with the improvements in record and by individual players was almost all down the drain.

2. This deserves its own bullet point, although it is clearly inextricable from Copeland’s shot, because Natalie Leuzinger’s two-handed overhead pass that hit Copeland in stride halfway down the court was perfection.

3. Serah Williams’ double-double streak continues apace. She’s a machine. After a first half where she only scored six points, due to USI playing solid defense and denying her the ball, Williams turned it up in the third quarter. She scored six in that frame but really exploded in the final quarter.

17 seconds in she made a layup. 25 seconds later she made another layup, got fouled, and made the free throw to cut USI’s lead to eight. She ended up with a dozen fourth quarter points and put the team on her back when they needed her the most. That’s what a star does, folks.

This doesn’t even touch on her insane rim protection. She blocked a shot on 18.9% (!!!) of USI’s possessions and caused the Screaming Eagles to think twice before entering the paint. Shoutout to Brooke Schramek too because she was also a good presence in by the basket.

4. Ronnie Porter playing all 40 minutes and only turning the ball over once is outstanding. The team also improved their turnovers as the game went on, but this is still an area that needs to be massively improved going forward in this tournament and next season.

5. The fourth quarter was perhaps the best 10 minutes that Wisconsin played all season. Take a look at these numbers:

25 points
7-of-9 FG; 2-of-2 3P; 9-of-11 FT
6 assists/3 turnovers

And then compare them to the Screaming Eagles’ numbers:

7 points
2-of-12 FG; 0-of-2 3P; 3-of-6 FT
1 assist/7 turnovers

That is absolute domination on both ends of the court.

6. RANDOM BONUS THOUGHTS: Wisconsin had 26 fastbreak points, which is impressive, but what might be more impressive is that they gave up zero; I’m still not entirely sure what Serah Williams got a technical foul for and I’m glad that USI missed half of their free throws resulting from that; speaking of the officials…they sure did spend an awful lot of time at the monitor and I hated it!; shoutout Leena Patibandla for seven solid minutes off the bench

Final Thought

Do you guys know the “not gonna lie, they had us in the first half” meme? That’s exactly how I felt watching this game. I was angry, frustrated, and at a loss during a first half that was as bad as any that UW played all season. The third quarter was a little better, but the Badgers were still down double digits with only 10 minutes remaining in their season.

Then the fourth quarter happened.

What a gem of a period for a Wisconsin women’s basketball team that looked lost in the sauce for 20-25 minutes. Serah Williams was incredible. Sania Copeland was all over the place causing havoc. Ronnie Porter was a steadying influence at point guard. This was a total team effort and was beautiful to watch. They showed immense pride in themselves and their teammates and it turned into the fourth biggest comeback in program history.

This wild ride continues on Thursday (AT HOME!) and I, for one, I’m excited to see where it ends up.

Next Game: Thursday, Mar. 28; vs. Illinois State, WNIT Third Round; 7:00 p.m. CT; Kohl Center (not sure about TV/streaming yet).