WBB Recap: Badgers blow by Hoyas thanks to big fourth quarter
Wisconsin had four players in double-figures, led by a career-high scoring outburst from Ronnie Porter.
In front of a loud and appreciative Kohl Center crowd on Sunday afternoon, the Wisconsin Badgers took down the Georgetown Hoyas by 18 points thanks to a balanced offensive attack from their starting five. UW is now 2-0 on the season and are starting off the campaign about as well as anyone could’ve hoped.
Here are all of the stats and analysis you need, albeit a touch late thanks to having a dumb job that needs me to work sometimes.
Final Score
Wisconsin Badgers (2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten): 79
Georgetown Hoyas (1-1 overall, 0-0 Big East): 61
Four Factors
eFG%: 56.3
Turnover%: 16.4
Off. Rebound%: 40.0
FTA/FGA: 20.3
Key Stats
FG%: 50.0 (32-of-64)
Opp. FG%: 39.3 (22-of-56)
3P%: 42.1 (8-of-19)
Opp. 3P%: 35.0 (7-of-20)
FT%: 53.9 (7-of-13)
Opp. FT%: 62.5 (10-of-16)
Points Per Possession: 1.179
Opponent Points Per Possession: 0.912
Rebounds: 40 (14 offensive)
Opponent Rebounds: 33 (12 offensive)
Turnovers: 11
Forced Turnovers: 16
Team Leaders
Ronnie Porter: 26 points (12-of-20 FG, 2-of-6 3P), five rebounds (one offensive), four assists, three steals, +20
Serah Williams: 17 points (8-of-15 FG, 0-of-1 3P), 16 rebounds (five offensive), four assists, three blocks, one steal, +22
Tess Myers: 17 points (5-of-11 FG, 4-of-9 3P), one rebound, one assist, one steal, +17
Carter McCray: 11 points (3-of-8 FG), 11 rebounds (seven offensive), one block, +14
Georgetown Team Leaders
Kelsey Ransom: 27 points (10-of-21 FG, 3-of-5 3P), seven rebounds (two offensive), two assists, three steals, -15
Ariel Jenkins: seven points (1-of-3 FG, 0-of-1 3P), six rebounds (three offensive), two blocks, -11
Three-ish Thoughts
Point guard Ronnie Porter had a good first half against the Hoyas. She had an absolutely electric second half, though, to help Wisconsin run away from Georgetown and make the last few minutes of the contest academic.
Porter scored 16 points (8-of-12 FG), pulled down three boards, dished out three assists (to only one turnover), and had two steals while playing 19 of a possible 20 minutes in the second half. She scored three straight layups at the beginning of the fourth quarter to push UW’s lead from a precarious three to a much safer nine and then, a few minutes later, capped a quick 7-0 Wisconsin run with a steal and breakaway layup which forced Georgetown to call timeout.
The Badgers still would’ve won the game if Porter (10 points) was the only Wisconsin player to score in the final frame as they entered with a four-point lead and the Hoyas only scored 11 points as a team. Oh yeah, Porter also ended both the second and third quarters with buzzer beaters. What a game from the diminutive floor general!
Serah Williams was her typical dominant self on Sunday, notching another double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, but her passing was what stuck out to me. She had four assists in the game, two of them resulting in three-pointers and her last one was a “big to big” assist that ended with a Carter McCray layup.
As the focal point of Wisconsin’s offense, Williams will face a lot of double (and triple) teams this year. Her ability to pass out of them, and her teammates’ ability to make defenses pay, will contribute massively to how well this year ends up for the Badgers. Early returns are positive, but there is a lot of season left.
One other note on Williams’ game: I loved the emotion she showed throughout. At the beginning of the fourth quarter she unleashed a scream after getting fouled and making a layup and then, when being subbed out for the final time, she ran off the court while pumping up the crowd.
In my limited interactions with Williams I’ve always thought of her as soft-spoken and thoughtful, not necessarily a Vocal Leader type. However, she is the unquestioned best player on the team this year and that title comes with certain responsibilities outside of Doing Basketball Good. She doesn’t need to be the MOST vocal or fired up player on the team, but teams take on the personalities of their No. 1 option in basketball more than any other sport, I’d wager.
Tess Myers has been “as advertised,” if not better, as a floor-spacing shooter (7-of-14 from deep, 63.6% three-point rate) so far, but she has impressed me in other, more unexpected, areas as well. She’s a smart, tough team defender and she does that without fouling. She isn’t a creator or anything like that, but she doesn’t turn the ball over and keeps it moving on offense when her shot isn’t there.
This final part is a bit of Vibes Based Analysis, but I think Myers has brought a vocal veteran presence to the Badgers on the court, which I think they were lacking last season. She coaches up her teammates, gets fired up with them, and brings the shooter’s mentality (where the next one is always going in) to the forefront.
It has only been two games, but Wisconsin is shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc as a team and their “worst” shooting percentage (two-pointers) is ranked 86th nationally. Myers’ shooting talent is obviously a big help here, but I think her confidence is also rubbing off on her teammates.MAKE YOUR DAMN FREE THROWS, GOOD GOD!
Some quick hitters: I didn’t think the refs were particularly “good” in this game, but they WERE consistent on both ends of the court and that’s honestly all I want from college basketball officiating; Natalie Leuzinger getting poked in the eye, not receiving a foul, and then making a three-pointer was pure cinema; Kelsey Ransom on Georgetown is a Hooper; D’Yanis Jimenez makes some jaw-dropping ball-handling moves but has to be more consistent and cut way back on the turnovers; Carter McCray is a terror on the offensive glass and I love watching her go over, around, and through opponents to secure the ball; while they aren’t playing like the “7 Seconds or Less Suns,” Wisconsin is playing at a faster tempo this year and they got some quick baskets, off of good looks, when they pushed the ball up the floor; Williams and McCray were the first UW teammates to have a double-double in the same game since 2019.
Final Thought
Beating Georgetown isn’t a program-defining win, but the Hoyas and Badgers were separated by one spot on Torvik’s rankings which makes this about as even a matchup as Wisconsin will have this year. To end up winning by 18 points in an “even” matchup is pretty damn good imo. Georgetown played tough defense in the first half and tried to fluster Wisconsin into mistakes. While they made a few, the Badgers didn’t make many and they were able to keep things neck and neck at halftime.
UW didn’t take their first lead of the game until the third quarter was nearly over, but once they did they did not give Georgetown a chance to take the lead back. Stepping on the gas like that wasn’t in UW’s bag last season or, quite frankly, at any point in Marisa Moseley’s tenure. The Badgers are playing smart, fun, complementary hoops and it has been awesome to watch through two games.
Wednesday’s contest against South Dakota State, who squeaked by Rice on the road in their first game and then upset No. 21 Creighton in their home opener, will be a true measuring stick game. The Jackrabbits have been one of the best mid-major teams in the country over the past few years and Wisconsin beat them at the Kohl Center last year. SDSU will be looking for revenge as well as earning another high-major victory to add to their NCAA Tournament resume.
I can’t wait!
Next Game: Wednesday, Nov. 13; vs. RV South Dakota State Jackrabbits; 7:00 p.m. CT; Summit League Network and Midco Sports Plus; Stanley J. Marshall Center; Brookings, S.D.