Wisconsin comes back vs Harvard in WBIT quarterfinals: How it happened

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Wisconsin comes back vs Harvard in WBIT quarterfinals: How it happened

John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Fri, Mar 27, 2026 ·

5 min read

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MADISON – Wisconsin women's basketball has gone from losing 10 straight games to winning its way to Wichita.

The Badgers are advancing to the WBIT semifinals after defeating Harvard, 64-61, in nailbiting fashion in overtime on March 26 in the quarterfinals at the Kohl Center.

The resilient manner of Wisconsin's win was symbolic of a 2025-26 season in which the Badgers have taken the first punch – whether it be the aforementioned losing streak or the many come-from-behind wins – and bounced back in a big way.

The Badgers took several punches, including when Harvard held them scoreless for nearly four minutes at seemingly the worst possible time late in the fourth quarter. But then the Badgers improbably scored 10 points in the final 43 seconds (and seven points in the final 29 seconds) to force overtime.

Then in overtime, Harvard's offensive foul with 4.2 seconds remaining, Destiny Howell's two free throws and a missed potential game-tying shot sealed the Badgers' third win of their postseason run in Robin Pingeton's first season at the helm.

"Right now, it's basketball, but later on, it's going to be life," a proud Pingeton said. "You're going to hit some challenges and some adversities along the way. … But you just got to keep showing up, and you got to keep believing. And that's what this group of young ladies has done."

Here is a closer look at three key elements of the Badgers' resilient win amid 14 lead changes and six ties:

Kyrah Daniels steps up late after Gift Uchenna stepped up early

After a somewhat quiet start – with six points in the first three quarters combined – Kyrah Daniels delivered some late heroics at the Kohl Center.

The 6-foot guard's 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining in regulation cut the Badgers' seemingly insurmountable deficit to 54-49. She struck again with a 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 56-52.

Daniels then accounted for the assist on Dorja Zaja's shot that followed Laci Steele's steal and further cut the deficit to two points. UW then got the ball back on a Ronnie Porter steal, setting up the game-tying layup by Destiny Howell.

Daniels either scored or assisted on eight of UW's final 10 points in regulation.

"She has put in the work to show up in the big moments," Pingeton said. "And that doesn't happen by accident. … Really proud of her. Not surprised. I think she wants that moment."

Earlier in the game, Gift Uchenna was the one to have the starring role. The 6-foot-3 forward led the Badgers with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds.

As late as the halfway point of the third quarter, Uchenna had more points than the rest of the Badgers combined before others took on more prominent roles in the closing stretch.

"She was tough," Harvard coach Carrie Moore said of Uchenna. "Obviously we don't have a 6-5 – I don't know how tall she is, but she plays like she's 6-5 – and just her size and her length and her athleticism, how much space she occupies in the paint. That's a difficult guard."

Wisconsin's defense keeps Badgers within striking distance

Harvard has thrived on the defensive end throughout the season and got the better of the Badgers for much of the evening at the Kohl Center, holding the Badgers to .914 points per possession.

Wisconsin overcame Harvard's pesky defense in large part due to its own defense. The Badgers held Harvard to 32.8% shooting and .847 points per possession.

"We said we got to win it with our defense and rebounding," Pingeton said.

UW did allow Harvard to grab 19 offensive rebounds (versus UW's 26 defensive rebounds), but it also forced 18 turnovers and helped the Badgers stay competitive at key moments.

After Wisconsin fell into a 23-14 hole in the second quarter, the Badgers held Harvard's offense to three points in the final five minutes of the second quarter and six points in the first six minutes of the third quarter.

"Proud of our girls for staying locked in when things weren't going well offensively," Pingeton said. "Beginning of the year, I don't think we could have handled that. … It's cool to see the growth in our team from the beginning of the year to where we're at now from that standpoint."

Experimental rule helps Badgers in final seconds

The offensive foul that helped the Badgers seal their victory almost went the other way.

It initially was ruled as a defensive foul on Porter, which would have been her fifth. Even more importantly, it would have given the Crimson the opportunity to tie or take the lead with two free throws in a one-point game.

But the WBIT experimented with different rules for challenges, so the Badgers had the ability to send the foul call to replay review. The review kept Porter in the game and kept Harvard from getting a shot at taking a last-second lead.

Harvard's Moore said the official "tried to make it seem as if it was very obvious" that it was an offensive foul, and she "would hope that it would be for him to make a call like that."

"It's ironic that our season ends on an experimental rule," Moore said. "If we're playing any other day or any other tournament, they don't get to review that and we're at the free-throw line."

Pingeton unsurprisingly expressed her support for the expanded scope of challenges after the game.

"The officials work hard, and they try to get it right," Pingeton said. "But sometimes there are bang-bang plays. ... I'm a big fan of it."

What's next

The Badgers will face Columbia in the WBIT semifinals on March 30 in Wichita, Kansas. The Lions advanced after defeating California on the road in the quarterfinals.

It will be UW's first postseason semifinal appearance since 2007 – history that the Badgers clearly made in improbable fashion.

"We don't always want to be doing that – coming from behind," Daniels said. "But I just think it speaks to our belief and our resilience and our connectedness to really come together."