The Wisconsin women's basketball team was unable to slow star Caitlin Clark in a loss to Iowa.
MADISON – The chance to see one of women’s basketball stars was enough to fill the Kohl Center Sunday and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark didn’t disappoint.
The senior finished with 28 points in an 87-65 victory for the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes over Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The 6-foot guard hit 11 of 19 shots, including 4 for 8 from three-point range. She also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists.
Box Score: Iowa 87, Wisconsin 65
Wisconsin (5-4, 0-1) rotated a variety of defenders on her, though sophomore Sania Copeland probably got the most work.
Despite the different looks, Clark’s production was steady. She hit three of five shots and went 2 for 2 from the line in the first quarter for eight points. She had seven points on 3-for-6 shooting in the second quarter and 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting in the third. She made her only attempt in the fourth quarter, a three-pointer.
The performance raised Clark’s career point total to 3,041, moving her past Maya Moore (Connecticut) and Elena Delle Donne (Delaware) to become the NCAA’s 10th all-time leading scorer with 3,041 points.
“One of the things we talked about is that you’re not going to stop a kid like Caitlin,” Badgers coach Marisa Moseley said. “She’s going to score at all three levels, but I think you’ve got to contain her and then you’ve got to make sure you guard the other people on the team, too.”
With Clark came a crowd. The game drew 14,252 fans, the seventh-largest crowd to see a Wisconsin game at the Kohl Center. UW has been averaging 3,112 at home.
The fans' presence was felt.
“During warmups seeing more people that usual there was exciting for me,” Copeland said. “That just excites me and makes ee want to play even harder honestly.”
Here are three takeawys from the loss.
Serah Williams must avoid foul trouble
That’s not breaking news, but the offense's struggles without her was hard to ignore.
The game was a test for a number of aspects of the Badgers' play, but the team’s offensive execution gets an incomplete because sophomore Serah Williams played just 17 minutes due to foul trouble.
That said it was a highly productive 17 minutes. She finished with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
However foul trouble plagued the UW standout. She picked up two fouls in the span of about a minute late in the first quarter and went to the bench with 3 minutes 20 seconds left in the quarter. She didn't return until the 6:22 mark of the third quarter, but lasted only 37 second before getting called for an offensive foul.
By the time she got an extensive run it was the fourth quarter Iowa was in control.
Ronnie Porter adjusts, ties career scoring high
Sophomore guard Ronnie Porter tied her career high with 17 points. He hit seven of 12 shots, including 1-for-3 shooting from three-point range.
The St. Paul, Minnesota, native had hit just 27% of her shots during the previous four games.
“Lately my shot hasn’t been falling so I was just going to something else, which is my ability to get to basket and use my floater or my scoop layup,” she said. “(It’s) just not relying on my three-pointer and showing I can do both.”
A solid effort for the defense
The Badger held Iowa below 50% shooting in the first half and held the Hawkeyes to 3 for 14 from from three-point range. Wisconsin’s work on that end of the floor helped it stay close in the second quarter despite the offense’s struggle with Williams on the bench.
Iowa, however, heated up enough during the final 3 minutes to outscore Wisconsin, 10-2, to take a 45-33 lead at the half. Nonetheless it was an extended period of quality defense for the Badgers against one of he nation’s top teams.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Iowa star Caitlin Clark doesn't disappoint as Badgers women fall
