NIU women’s basketball (3-4) was dismantled against Big Ten competition, falling to the University of Wisconsin-Madison (5-2) by a score of 75-54 and ending a three-game win streak.
A 16-point Wisconsin run early in the second quarter put NIU in a massive hole. The Huskies hucked a flurry of three-pointers in a desperate attempt to climb back to contention but came up empty as NIU shot 1-11 from behind the arc in the quarter while recording 9 total points.
By the end of the night, the Huskies shot 16-70 from the field and 11-40 from three.
NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen stressed a more selective mentality in NIU’s shooting moving forward.
“I don’t mind us taking 40 3s,” Carlsen said. “But, there’s going to be about 10 to 15 of those that we just need to not take early in the shot clock when we haven’t gotten any paint touches.”
The Badgers overpowered the Huskies with their size, outscoring them in the paint 38-10 while recording 7 blocks and 13 steals.
Junior guard Moriah Prewitt provided a small bright spot for NIU, scoring a career-high 11 points. Prewitt was tied with senior guards Jayden Marable and Kortney Drake for the Huskies’ leading scorer of the night.
“Definitely cool to go out there and have a career high,” Prewitt said. “Just wish it would have turned out the other way with a win. But, it’s a good way to learn – just feeling confident and being able to shoot against those athletes.”
The loss brings NIU women’s basketball below .500. The Huskies are still seeking their first winning record of the season.
The Huskies’ next game is at 1 p.m. Sunday against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in Edwardsville. Audio streaming will be available at The Varsity Network, and live stats will be available at Stat Broadcast.
