UW women's basketball: Flat effort leads to quick exit
INDIANAPOLIS -- There won't be an NCAA tournament invitation extended to the University of Wisconsin women's basketball team this season.
The Badgers' apathetic performance in a 73-58 setback to Illinois in a first-round game of the Big Ten tournament Thursday made sure of that. Now, they have to wait to learn if a return to the Women's National Invitation Tournament is a plausible option.
Senior guard Jolene Anderson, who was named Big Ten Player of the Year by the league's media earlier this week, posted game highs with 24 points and 11 rebounds for eighth-seeded UW (16-13), which came into the game with victories in eight of its last 11 games.
The Badgers and fifth-year coach Lisa Stone realized the only way they could secure a bid in their first NCAA tournament since 2002 was to earn the league's automatic bid with four straight wins and the Big Ten tournament championship that went along with that feat. But the Badgers, who finished 9-9 in the Big Ten regular-season standings, fell flat in that pursuit.
The Badgers clearly were frustrated with their lack of intensity.
"It was flat," said sophomore starter and point guard Rae Lin D'Alie, who had two points on 1-of-7 shooting. "You could feel it as you were playing -- it was flat. Nothing really got going, and it seemed on offense we were flat and on defense we were flat.
"Toward the end (of the first half), we started to pick it up a little bit. It's too late then. You can't go back into time and re-do things."
Senior guard Rebecca Harris hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to give Illinois a 23-14 lead with 10 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first. After that basket, the ninth-seeded Fighting Illini (17-13) went through a cold-shooting spell and came up empty on 10 straight possessions with nine missed shots and a turnover.
The Badgers, however, failed to capitalize when the opportunity presented itself.
Anderson scored five points over the final 2:24 of the first to pull Wisconsin within three points at two junctures, but Illinois pushed its lead to six at 34-28 at intermission.
Anderson hit a jumper with 18:31 left in the game to trim Illinois' lead to 34-30, but the Illini then strung together a decisive 20-5 run to secure their second win in three meetings this season between the teams.
Besides Anderson and senior guard Danielle Ward and freshman reserve Alyssa Karel, who scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, the Badgers had little other help on offense.
"I think all eight or nine of Illinois' players are in it together, and none of us were in it together as a team," Anderson said. "No one came ready to play."
The Badgers shot a dreadful 25.6 percent from the field (10-of-39) in the second half and were outrebounded 46-36 in the game.
Sophomore forward Jenna Smith, an All-Big Ten first-team pick, spearheaded a balanced offensive attack with 21 points and 10 boards to help the Illini advance to the quarterfinals and a game today against top-seeded Ohio State. Harris also had a double-double, adding 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the sting of the setback was palpable in the locker room as the Badgers prepared to board a flight back to Madison on Thursday night.
A sizable contingent of UW fans, including UW athletic director Barry Alvarez and players' families, made the trek to Indianapolis for the tournament and, like the Badgers, came away disappointed.
"It's unbelievable that we can come out and play like that, especially when this is the Big Ten tournament," D'Alie said. "We had so much to prove.
"Even though we started off 1-6 (in the conference), it's like we get to redeem ourselves a little bit. We get to come out, get another shot at the NCAA tournament, and then come out and play like that, you can't say nothing about it."
tmadsen@madison.com
