MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's basketball team led the Florida Gators for the entire first half, but the Gators used powerful runs in the second half to win, 91-75, at the Kohl Center on Thursday.

The Badgers (3-5) scored 44 points in the first half to lead the Gators (8-1) by one heading into halftime, as it marked the second-highest amount of points scored against a Florida opponent in the first half this season. The 44-point mark is the most scored by the Badgers in a half this season as well.

"We came out focused," head coach Bobbie Kelsey said. "We knew from that Marquette game that we weren't pleased with our performance from the beginning of that game. We didn't give ourselves an opportunity.

"People were focused, ready to go. We hit some nice shots in the beginning and ran our offense really well. We just have to keep refining things. We're going to build off of this even if it's a loss."

Senior Nicole Bauman led UW with a team-high 19 points and five assists, as the guard sank three 3-pointers on the night.

Fellow senior Dakota Whyte followed right behind with 18 points, four assists and four rebounds.

Senior Tessa Cichy also scored in double digits with 10 points and brought down three boards. Sophomore Cayla McMorris also notched 10 points for the Badgers.

Junior Avyanna Young led the Badgers in rebounds, tallying nearly double-digits with nine.

"I'm proud of the team. They came out and really played hard," Kelsey added. "In the first two quarters, we gave ourselves an opportunity to not dig ourselves a hole. We rebounded better and boxed out better, so we saw some improvement there.

"Too many turnovers once again, but we're sharing the ball and that's always good. We have to get our post players going a little bit more. They need to get some more touches, so we'll figure that out. All in all, I was pleased with how we came out."

Florida's Eleanna Christinaki led all players with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists on the night.

The Badgers began the night with a 4-0 run to find themselves on top for the remainder of the first and second quarters. After a quick back-and-forth action between the teams, the Badgers pulled ahead with a 5-0 run from Cichy to sit atop the Gators, 11-4.

A quick Florida layup was quickly answered by a pair of jumpers from Whyte and Bauman, leading the Badgers on another 4-0 run (WIS 15-6). Florida fought back with a 6-0 run, but it was quickly ended by McMorris and Johnson, who put in a layup apiece.

A Florida turnover turned into a 3-pointer from Bauman, bringing the Badgers ahead, 24-15. Johnson ended the quarter after a pair of free throws from the Gators with a quick layup to hold Wisconsin's lead over Florida, 26-17, heading into the second quarter.

In an effort to fight back, the Gators began the second quarter with a 5-0 run, bringing the score to 26-22, but the Badgers quickly widened the gap with a pair of free throws from Avyanna Young (WIS 28-22).

Another 5-0 run for Florida brought the score to 28-27, but Whyte sank a comfortable 3-pointer to increase the Badgers' lead.

A Wisconsin turnover allowed the Gators to grab a quick two points, tying the score at 31.

Without hesitation, Cichy sank a 3-pointer to bring the Badgers back on top, as the action went back-and-forth between the two teams, yet the Badgers, leading 44-43 at half, never trailed.

Quarter three proved a different story for the Badgers, as the Gators quickly tied the game and then took the lead with a 9-0 run to lead the Badgers, 51-44.

McMorris shut down the Gator run with a 3-pointer, but another 4-0 Florida run brought the Gators on top, 55-47. The Badgers battled back throughout the remainder of the third quarter, but trailed the Gators 70-62 heading into the fourth.

The Badgers battled back with an 8-3 run thanks to 3-pointers from Bauman and Whyte and a jumper from Cichy to come within seven points of the Gators (79-72), but it wasn't enough as Florida capitalized on eight free throws in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to come out on top, 91-75.

The Badgers shot a season-best 54.8 percent (17-31) in field-goal range in the first half, compared to the Gators' 47.1 percent (15-32). However, Florida led Wisconsin in the second half, as the Gators shot 46.9 percent (15-32) compared to the Badgers' 36.4 percent (12-33).

The Badgers return to the Kohl Center on Sunday, Dec. 13, as they host in-state rival Green Bay at 2 p.m. (CT).