'To be able to have a Senior Day end like this ... it’s just incredible': Wisconsin women's basketball upsets No. 12 Michigan in Big Ten finale

MADISON – All season, members of the Wisconsin women’s basketball team felt they were on the cusp.

For a team that entered play Sunday with 12 losses in 17 Big Ten games, the Badgers have been competitive. They would start slow and play well for the final three quarters or lead heading into the fourth only to have wins slip from their grasp.

UW, however, saved its best for last, putting together its most complete game of the season, an effort that netted the team a 78-70 victory over No. 12 Michigan in front of 4,933 fans at the Kohl Center on days when seniors Julie Pospisilova, Avery LaBarbera and Sara Stapleton were honored before tipoff.

BOX SCORE:Wisconsin 78, Michigan 70

The victory marked a handful of milestones:

*The win was the Badgers’ first victory over a ranked opponent since Feb. 10, 2021, against Ohio State.

*The victory allowed UW to finish with a 6-12 mark in the Big Ten, its best conference record since a 10-6 mark in 2010-11.

*Wisconsin moved ahead of Rutgers and into 10^th place in the conference to earn a first-round bye for the Big Ten Tournament. The Badgers will face Purdue at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Not bad for a couple hours of work.

“Going into the game I had a really good feeling we were going to win, actually,” Pospisilova said. “Everything basically worked for us. We were able to make shots. We were able to play as a team.”

Julie Pospisilova plays during rare visit from her parents

The afternoon was especially special for the senior guard from Czech Republic. Her parents arrived last week to see her play in person with UW for the first time since her freshman season.

Pospisilova didn’t disappoint.  After getting 20 points, five rebounds and six assists in a win over Northwestern on Thursday, she finished with a game-high 25 points and posted six rebounds and five assists against the Wolverines. She connected on 10 of 16 shots and was 3 for 3 from three-point range.

Three other players scored in double figures: freshman Maty Wilke totaled 15 points on 4-for-9 shooting; freshman Serah Williams contributed 14 points, five boards and two blocks; and LaBarbera finished with 12 points, tied Pospisilova for the team high with five assists and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

The Badgers’ cause was helped by the absence of Michigan’s top two scorers, senior Leigha Brown (internal matter) and sophomore Laila Phelia (injury). That said, give UW credit for playing winning ball in a number of areas.

In addition to its scoring balance, UW protected the ball, defended with vigor and avoided extended scoring droughts.

“Wow. I don’t think it’s quite hit me just yet,” UW coach Marisa Moseley said. “I sat there actually at halftime and I was envisioning what it would actually be like to beat Michigan and I was just thinking about our team and the celebration … I couldn’t have dreamed it better. To be able to have a Senior Day end like this, to make history, it’s just incredible.”

Wisconsin’s 12 turnovers equaled its low for the Big Ten season. The Badgers didn’t turn it over during the second quarter and almost went 20 minutes without a turnover.

On the defensive end, they held Michigan to 40% shooting (26 of 65) and didn’t allow the Wolverines to hit better than 42% in any quarter. Senior guard Maddie Nolan led Michigan with 21 points and senior forward Emily Kiser finished with 17 points and 12 boards.

Nolan, in particular, was contained better in the second half when she got just six shots and scored seven points.

“This year I feel really confident with our man-to-man defense and I think it’s just continued to get better throughout the year,” Moseley said. “When we were doubling in the post and (executing) our rotations, I think our kids could feel it. It was almost like when a shark sees blood in the water.”

Fourth-quarter run sends Badgers to victory

UW led, 36-35, at the half and, 52-49, after three quarters. The difference in the game was a 9-2 run to start the final quarter that pushed the Badgers advantage to 61-51 with 7 minutes 34 seconds left.

Pospisilova had a hand in the first seven of those points as she hit a three, sank two free throws and dished to junior Brooke Schramek for a layup on the team’s first three possessions of the quarter.

Wisconsin scored on six of its first seven possession of the quarter and with the help of a sterling effort from the free throw line – the Badgers were 14 for 16 the line in the quarter – scored on 13 of 19 possessions during that portion of the game.

The performance capped a seven-day stretch when the Badgers also scored wins over Rutgers and Northwestern and sets up Wisconsin for a Big Ten quarterfinal rematch with Purdue. The Boilermakers won the teams' only meeting, 73-61, Jan. 1 in West Lafayette, Ind.

“Coming into this day was really emotional and we could have gone one of two ways," LaBarbera said. "We could have been really sad, thinking about it’s your last game, but I think we did the opposite. We stuck together and we were really confident on the floor.

“This is insane that it’s our last game at the Kohl Center, but I’m so happy to be able to walk away smiling. I’m really proud.”

More:Marisa Moseley sees growth in Wisconsin women's basketball program in Year 2

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin women's basketball nets Senior Day upset of No. 12 Michigan