Williams sets record as UW loses to Penn State
Penn State wasn’t going to let Serah Williams beat it this time.
The Wisconsin sophomore forward posted 31 points and 15 rebounds in a comeback victory over the Nittany Lions last month. Thursday in the secondround of the Big Ten tournament, Penn State clogged the lane and forced the Badgers to get the spark to their offense from someone other than their all-Big Ten performer.
They couldn’t do it.
Penn State defeated the Badgers, 8056, at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Nittany Lions, who are trying to enhance their resume for the NCAA Tournament, dominated the paint on both ends of the floor while hitting 33.3% (6 for 18) from three-point range as they built a 20-point lead during the first three quarters.
“We did a great job on Serah Williams tonight, who is a phenomenal post player,” Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger said. “I have so much respect for her and her game and her improvement over the last year. I can’t say enough about her, but our team weathered that matchup.”
Williams still managed a double-double – she posted 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting with 10 rebounds. It was her 16th straight double-double, a Big Ten record she previously shared with Wisconsin native and former Iowa standout Megan Gustafson.
The all-Big Ten selection was bottled up in the first half before getting eight points and nine rebounds in the second half.
“They were very physical,” she said. “Every possession I think there were one or two extra people behind me. Every time I would try to go get a rebound there was someone in front of me, someone in back of me. It just made it very hard to play the game I play.”
UW sophomore guard Ronnie Porter finished with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. Three other players had at least eight points: senior Brooke Schramek (nine), senior Natalie Leuzinger (eight) and sophomore Sania Copeland, who returned
Wisconsin's Serah Williams, shown in a game earlier this month, had 10 points and 10 rebounds Thursday to set a Big Ten record with 16 straight double-doubles, but the Badgers lost to Penn State, 80-56, at the Target Center in Minneapolis in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. to action after missing the Michigan State game Sunday due to an apparent ankle injury, and added eight points.
The balanced scoring was there for UW, there just wasn’t enough of it. The Badgers (13-16) shot 35.1% (20 of 57) and closed the season without reaching 60 points in three of their last four games.
Penn State, meanwhile, was plus-16 on the boards. Its 44 points in the paint were two points off the season high for a UW opponent.
The Badgers defense wasn’t having much of an effect. Penn State shot 68.8% (11 for 16) in the first quarter and 50% (6 for 12) in the second and led, 45-29, at the half.
Penn State, which advanced to face Iowa in the quarterfinals Friday, pulled away during two stretches. The first came during the final 41⁄ minutes of the
2 first quarter when a 16-5 run during turned a one-point game into a 27-15 lead.
The second came during the final 5 minutes of the second quarter when a nine-point lead grew to 16.
The Badgers didn’t have a rally in the tank and pulled no closer than 14 points during the second half.