Michigan second-half heroics not enough to secure win, falling to Wisconsin, 82-75

The first half of the Michigan women’s basketball team’s matchup against Wisconsin was a game of tug of war.

But the Badgers (11-10 overall, 2-8 Big Ten) ultimately won the back-and-forth battle as the Wolverines (14-7, 5-5) fell, 82-75. 

Less than two minutes into the first quarter, freshman guard Olivia Olson lost control of the ball and watched as the Badgers took it down the court. Swinging it around the arc, Wisconsin guard Natalie Leuzinger sunk a three to give the Badgers an early 5-0 lead. 

Leuzinger’s 3-pointer foreshadowed what would soon become a problem for Michigan in the next 18 minutes of the game: Wisconsin’s proficiency from downtown.

Though the Badgers typically shoot 32.3% from the arc, in the first two frames of Wednesday’s game, Wisconsin shot 50% and netted nine 3-pointers. And with the Wolverines initially focusing their defensive efforts on the Badgers’ post player, Michigan left the perimeter wide open for the taking. 

Yet despite Wisconsin’s success from the 3-point line, the Wolverines had no intention of letting the game escape them. Olson and freshman guard Syla Swords, in particular, captained Michigan’s offensive charge. 

After an and-1 layup from Swords late in the second quarter brought the Wolverines’ deficit to just four points, Olson struck next for Michigan. Stealing back the ball after senior guard Jordan Hobbs turned it over, Olson took it to the basket for a layup to put the game within one point, 31-30. 

Together, the team totaled 24 points in the first half, making every effort to keep the Wolverines in the game. But the duo’s efforts weren’t enough to overcome the problem the Badgers posed on the perimeter. As Wisconsin nailed another 3-pointer to end the quarter, Michigan went into halftime trailing 34-30, with the Badgers’ 3-pointers accounting for 27 of their 34 points on the scoreboard. 

As the teams entered the second half of the matchup, the Wolverines again turned to Swords and Olson. With 14 points between the two freshmen in the third quarter, when the duo wasn’t shooting, they were passing, kickstarting Michigan’s offense back to life. 

With seconds left in the third quarter, the Wolverines were down by just three points. Olson held the ball at the top of the key, preparing to take it into the basket before she was double teamed by two Wisconsin defenders. Searching for an out, Olson kicked it to Hobbs, who swiftly sunk the shot from downtown to tie the game at 53. 

With just 10 minutes left to play, Michigan’s offense needed to fire on all cylinders to secure the win. But instead, the Wolverines’ momentum sputtered to a halt. 

Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Hobbs connected with Olson in the paint, who netted a midrange jumper to give the Wolverines an early 55-53 lead in the fourth. But on the very next possession, the Badgers retaliated with a layup to tie the game once more. 

What ensued in the final 10 minutes of the game paralleled exactly what happened in the first ten — a neck-in-neck scuffle as both teams grappled for the lead. Trading baskets until the very last minute of the game, Wisconsin ultimately delivered the final blow. 

In a game that shouldn’t have been close on paper, the Wolverines’ late-game heroics were simply not enough to save them from defeat.

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