Tag: wisconsin womens basketball

Wisconsin women’s basketball adds international player to roster

Wisconsin women’s basketball adds international player to roster

The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team added international player Alba Martin Mesa on Wednesday, rounding out their 2024-2025 roster. The 5-foot-6 guard is coming to Madison from Spain, where she played with SPAR Gran Canaria last year.

Martin Mesa averaged an impressive 14 points, six assists and three steals per game in 2023-2024. She will become the 15th and final member of Marisa Moseley’s roster.

The Badgers are coming off of a 2023-2024 season where they went 15-17 overall and 6-12 in conference play. The team advanced all the way to the Great 8 in the WNIT, that being their first postseason action in over a decade.

Wisconsin had five players enter the transfer portal and leave after last season, including guard Sania Copeland (Kansas). With that being said, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year winner Serah Williams is back this season and the Badgers will look to build off of a promising postseason run from last year.

Wisconsin women’s basketball announces 2024-25 Big Ten schedule

Wisconsin women’s basketball announces 2024-25 Big Ten schedule

Wisconsin’s women’s basketball program received its conference opponents for the upcoming 2024-2025 season on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Badgers will host eight Big Ten opponents, including new conference foes UCLA and USC. Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, Minnesota and Rutgers will also venture to Madison for contests at the Kohl Center.

Most notably, Marisa Moseley and company will travel to Spokane, Washington and Eugene, Oregon for bouts against the Huskies and Ducks respectively — the other pair of Big Ten additions for the 2024-2025 campaign. Wisconsin will also visit Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue and Minnesota.

In total, Wisconsin will square off in 18 conference contests. Minnesota is the one opponent it will face both home and away.

The dates, times and viewing capabilities are yet to be announced. 

The news arrives following several additions and departures for UW. Former Badgers Sania Copeland, Tessa Towers, Sacia Vanderpool, Imbie Jones and Ana Guillen departed via the transfer portal this spring.

Wisconsin also brought in guard Tess Myers and center Carter McCray via the portal. 

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball forward transfers to Ivy League school

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball forward transfers to Ivy League

Former Wisconsin forward Ana Guillen announced her commitment to Yale University’s basketball program on Sunday via social media. 

After one season in Madison representing the Badgers, Guillen elected to enter the transfer portal in April for a change in scenery.

The Badalona, Spain native appeared in 22 contests off the bench in 2023-24. In 118 total minutes, she registered 24 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.

Guillen made her collegiate debut on Nov. 7, 2023 against Milwaukee and logged her first basket on Nov. 9 against Western Illinois. Her career-high five-point performance arrived against Michigan in January. 

Prior to UW, Guillen captured the 2017, 2019 and 2022 Catalonia Championships and snagged the 2019 Spanish Championship with FemenĂ­ Sant AdriĂ . She also competed for the Spanish National Team at the 2021 European Challenger.

She is the fifth Badger to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Former UW guard Sania Copeland recently joined Kansas’ women’s basketball program, center Tessa Towers  announced her commitment to Ball State, Sacia Vanderpool signed with North Dakota State and Imbie Jones is headed to Nevada.

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball forward transfers to Nevada

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball forward transfers to Nevada

Former Wisconsin forward Imbie Jones announced her commitment to the University of Nevada’s basketball program on Wednesday via social media. 

After one season in Madison representing the Badgers, Jones elected to enter the transfer portal on April 18 for a change of scenery. The Seattle, Washington native appeared in 15 contests during her tenure at UW.

Jones made her collegiate debut on Nov. 7, 2023 against Milwaukee and logged her first basket in January against Iowa. She reached the hardwood for 38 total minutes in 2023-24 and played a season-high seven minutes in Wisconsin’s WNIT match against Illinois State in March. 

ESPN ranked Jones as a three-star recruit and No. 147 player in the nation coming out of Garfield High School. During her senior year, she earned First Team All-Metro League nods and was a Metro League champion.

She also punctuated her high school tenure year by leading Garfield to a perfect 20-0 overall mark in 2022 and the Washington State championship. 

She is the fourth Badger to find a new home in the transfer portal this offseason. Former UW guard Sania Copeland recently joined Kansas’ women’s basketball program, center Tessa Towers  announced her commitment to Ball State and Sacia Vadnerpool signed with North Dakota State.

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball forward transfers to North Dakota State

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball forward transfers to North Dakota State

Former Wisconsin forward Sacia Vanderpool announced her commitment to North Dakota State on April 25 via social media. 

After three years in Madison and two seasons representing the Badgers, Vanderpool elected to enter the transfer portal in March alongside teammate Tessa Towers for a change in scenery. The Byron, Minnesota native appeared in just six total contests during her tenure in Madison.

Towers made her collegiate debut and scored her first basket on Nov. 16, 2022 against Bradley. She appeared in four games in 2022-23 and even started against Michigan State on March 3, 2024.

At Byron High School, Vanderpool accounted for 16.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game during her 2020-2021 campaign for the Tigers. She earned all-conference nods as a junior and senior and was an honorable mention all-state during her final year in high school.

During her junior year, Vanderpool averaged 15.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game off a 55% mark from the field, 44% split from 3-point range and 80% clip from the free-throw line. 

She is one of three Badgers to have entered the portal this offseason. Former UW guard Sania Copeland recently joined Kansas’ women’s basketball program, and center Tessa Towers  recently announced her commitment to Ball State.

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball center commits to Ball State

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball center lands at Ball State

Former Wisconsin center Tessa Towers announced her commitment to Ball State University’s basketball program on Saturday via social media. 

After two seasons representing the Badgers, Towers elected to enter the transfer portal on March 18 for a change in scenery. The Batavia, Illinois native appeared in just four total contests during her freshman and sophomore years.

Towers made her collegiate debut on Nov. 13, 2022 against North Florida and scored a career-best five points against Bradley three days later.  

At Batavia High School, Towers accounted for 14.3 points, snared 8.4 rebounds and denied 1.7 shot attempts over 31 appearances during her 2021-2022 campaign for the Bulldogs. She earned 2021-22 Second-Team All-State honors and helped guide her squad to a regional championship in 2022. 

Towers was also named to the all-conference team three times, including two unanimous selections, and notched 1,000-plus points, 691 rebounds and 122 blocks during her high school hoops career. 

She is the third Badger to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Former UW guard Sania Copeland recently joined Kansas’ women’s basketball program, and forward Sacia Vanderpool recently announced her commitment to North Dakota State.

Wisconsin women’s basketball lands talented guard in transfer portal

Wisconsin women’s basketball lands talented guard in transfer portal

Former Duquesne guard Tess Myers announced her commitment to Wisconsin’s women’s basketball program on Saturday via social media. 

After four seasons representing the Dukes, Myers elected to enter the transfer portal for a change in scenery. The Lower Burell, Pennsylvania native started in 93 of her 109 total appearances at Duquesne, including a career-best 32 in 2023-2024.

Fresh off a 7.9-point, 3.4-rebound per game averages during her latest season in Pittsburgh, Myers shot over 36% from outside. She recorded 10 points and 3.5 rebounds per game throughout her 4-year collegiate tenure. 

At 5-foot-9, Myers provides a backcourt boost following the departure of former starting guard Sania Copeland. She dropped a season-high 35 points on 11 made three-pointers in a Dec. 14 contest against Longwood, showcasing her three-point capabilities. 

Her 11 made looks from beyond the arch set the season high among qualified NCAA Division I players this past season and also set the single-game record for the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Her 279 3FGs are the most in program history, and she also ranks No. 7 all-time at Duquesne with a 80.7% mark from the foul stripe.

With departures of Copeland, former forward Sacia Vanderpool and center Tessa Towers, Wisconsin’s second transfer portal splash is a big one. 

Wisconsin women’s basketball lands one of nation’s best transfer centers

Wisconsin women’s basketball lands one of nation’s best transfer centers

Former Northern Kentucky center Carter McCray announced her commitment to Wisconsin’s women’s basketball program on Tuesday via Instagram.

McCray elected to join Marisa Moseley and the Badgers in Madison over other interest from Georgetown, UNLV, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Bowling Green and Green Bay,

At 6-foot-1, McCray started all 31 games as a freshman for Northern Kentucky. The Oberlin, Ohio native led her team in both scoring (15.7 points) and rebounding (11.2 rebounds) during her first and only season in Highland Heights, Kentucky. She also tied for 19th in double-doubles among qualified players with 17, her11.2 rebound-per-game mark landed within the country’s top 10 and her 4.8 offensive rebounds per contest were fourth-most in the nation.

Wisconsin finished the season at No. 183 of 349 qualified programs in rebounds per game. Adding a physical presence like McCray is a monumental boost for Moseley’s front line alongside Serah Williams. 

In McCray’s final three games at Northern Kentucky, she averaged over 26 points and 13 rebounds on a blistering 68.2% mark from the field. 

With departures of starting guard Sania Copeland, forward Sacia Vanderpool and center Tessa Towers, Wisconsin’s first transfer portal splash is a big one. 

Former Wisconsin starting guard transfers to Big 12 school

Former Wisconsin starting guard transfers to Big 12 school

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball starting guard Sania Copeland announced her commitment to Kansas via Instagram on Monday.

Copeland played two seasons for the Badgers under head coach Marisa Moseley. She started in 23 of her 28 appearances during her sophomore seasonl, averaging over 30 minutes per game. 

The Kansas City, Kansas native captained the team in steals on 16 separate occasions and dropped a career-high 18 points in the Badgers’ WNIT match against Illinois State on March 28. The 5-foot-7 guard averaged 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game during her sophomore campaign. 

At Olathe North High School, Copeland earned 2022 first-team all-state honors and led the Eagles to a fourth-place finish in the 2022 state tournament and conference championship. She also set a program scoring record with 1,102 points.

Copeland is one of three former Badgers to hit the transfer portal this spring. Forward Sacia Vanderpool and center Tessa Towers have yet to make any announcement.

Wisconsin women’s basketball falls to Saint Louis, is eliminated from WNIT

Wisconsin women’s basketball falls to Saint Louis, is eliminated from WNIT

Wisconsin’s women’s basketball program fell to Saint Louis University 65-60 in its Great 8 round of the 2024 Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Monday, April 1. 

With a 15-17 overall clip before yesterday’s action, the Badgers conquered both the University of Southern Indiana and Illinois State University in the first two rounds of their postseason gauntlet.

Wisconsin’s leading scorer and rebounder Serah Williams exited with an injury in the first minute of the Badgers’ contest against Saint Louis. The Billikens capitalized and orchestrated an 8-0 scoring surge to open the contest. 

The Badgers responded with four straight layups and a pair of jumpers to cut the deficit to two, but Saint Louis maintained a four-tally advantage heading into the second stanza.

UW’s offense sputtered in the second quarter – Wisconsin registered nine total points and surrendered nine unanswered points before the break. The Billikens marched into intermission up eight. 

Moseley’s crew appeared to find new life towards the tail end of the third period with a flurry of layups from Halle Douglass, Ronnie Porter and D’Yanis Jimenez. The momentum proved true, and Wisconsin pulled within a point with 6:24 to spare in the contest.

Guard Ronnie Porter knotted the game at 53 apiece off a free throw, and the Badgers seemed to command the Kohl Center crowd when crunch time commenced. Badgers freshman Tessa Grady went on to drill a three-point field goal to put UW ahead 58-57 in the final minutes, but Saint Louis forced a pair of key turnovers late to clinch a 65-60 win.

Wisconsin’s season ends with a 17-18 record after the brief postseason surge.