In a heated match-up between UW schools, the Whitewater Warhawks fell to the Badgers by a score of 34-67 Wednesday, Oct. 30 in an exhibition game to kick off the basketball season at the Kohl Center in Madison.

The Warhawks took the snowy drive up I-90 to get to Madison, where the Badgers were waiting with open arms.

“They were gracious hosts, we have had nothing but a very positive, fun experience. Our relationship with the Badgers is very important to us,” said Warhawks head coach, Keri Carollo.

 However, the Badgers were less accommodating of the Warhawks on the court. They kept the lid on the Warhawks basket until the last 50 seconds of the first quarter, when senior Becky Raeder made the first shot.

 “It was just like ‘alright we’re on the board,’ let’s just go up from here,” she said.

The Warhawks closed the first quarter down 2-13, but scored 10 in the 2nd quarter, ending the half at 12-30.

Badger coach Jonathan Tsipis was proud of his team’s defensive effort in the 3rd quarter.

“To hold a team to 12 points, and forced 16 turnovers, I think we did a good job,” he said.

“Emily Schumacher was a really good scorer, and we wanted to make sure that if she did make shots, they were highly contested.”

Schumacher, the junior from Waukesha, was the Warhawks leading scorer last season, and was nominated All-WIAC 1st team. However, the Badgers keyed in on her production, and shut her down. She finished Wednesday’s game with no points on six shots.

The starters for the Warhawks were Raeder and Schumacher, as well as Veronica Kieres, Aleah Grundahl, and Johanna Taylor. They seemed to play well defensively at the beginning of the game, and deserve another chance to show their chemistry as a starting five.

“Rotations are still a work in progress so I can’t say that’s exactly how things are going to play out moving forward, but I thought it worked well tonight,” Carollo said. “The great thing about this team is that everyone’s competing for different roles at this point.”

One player who is still trying to define her role is Yssa Sto. Domingo, a second year guard from Streamwood, IL. The 5’4 guard brought a late game boost of energy for Carollo’s squad, and she hit a 3 pointer, with 3:21 left in the game.

On the next possession, she drove in for a layup, got fouled, and made the free throw to complete the And-1.

“Yssa is a competitor. She is just a powerhouse for how little she is. She just brings a lot to our team [with] her tenacity,” said Carollo.

She finished with 6 points and a rebound in just 5 minutes.

“We talked to our girls yesterday at practice about coming here to compete,” said Carollo. “We wanted to see who would rise to the occasion.

I felt like Yssa did a great job of that. She wasn’t intimidated, she wasn’t afraid. Even though she’s one of the smaller players on the court, she really doesn’t play like that.”

The Warhawks closed the game strong, thanks to Sto. Domingo, but still fell to the Badgers by a final of 34-67. Badger Imani Lewis had 15 points, a game high.

Going forward, the Warhawks are predicted to finish third in the conference, behind last season’s champs UW-Oshkosh, and perennial rival UW-La Crosse. The ‘Hawks finished above La Crosse last season, but fell to second place in the WIAC behind Oshkosh.

Another goal for the team would be making the NCAA Tournament, a feat accomplished by Carollo 11 times in the last 12 seasons.