Saturday State Sports Briefs: UW women's skaters beat UMD in OT

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MADISON - On the game clock, the Wisconsin women's hockey team scored goals 35 seconds apart to edge Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 in overtime Friday at the Kohl Center.

Senior Meghan Duggan scored a game-tying goal with 25 seconds left in regulation, then sophomore Brianna Decker found the back of the net just 10 seconds into overtime. The number one ranked Wisconsin team improved its record to 12-1, including 8-1 in the WCHA. Minnesota-Duluth had scored twice in the first period to take a lead, but was held off the rest of the way. Decker's game-winning goal was her second of the game. Junior Hilary Knight had two assists. Freshman Alex Rigsby had a career-best 37 saves while staying undefeated in the net.

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The University of Wisconsin football players say they won't take their attention off Northwestern in the final Big Ten Conference game of the year tomorrow. That's because the Wildcats upset Wisconsin last year 33-31. The Badgers have a good shot at a Rose Bowl berth -- and they will have a clear picture of what has to be done by the opening kickoff. Both Ohio State and Michigan are playing early games. Wisconsin takes a 10-1 record into the game against Northwestern, which is 7-4. Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State are each 6-1 in conference play. A Badger win would likely mean a trip to Pasadena since Wisconsin has the best BCS ranking right now.

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UW-Whitewater will host Trine University of Angola, Indiana tomorrow in the Sweet-16 round of the NCAA Division-Three football playoffs. Both teams are 11-0. The Warhawks shook off Franklin of Indiana in the second half last Saturday for a 52-21 victory. Trine, the champions of the Michigan Inter-collegiate Athletic Association, advanced with a 45-35 win over DePauw. If the Warhawks win, it would be their final home game of the playoffs unless a higher-seeded team is upset tomorrow. That’s because Whitewater only received a number-two seed in the Field-of-32, despite having a national-high 26-game winning streak and a number-one ranking in a pair of Division-Three polls. Whitewater did have a weaker strength-of-schedule compared to all four number-one seeds – including Mount Union of Ohio, whom the Warhawks have played in the national title game in each of the last five years. Wesley College of Delaware has the overall top-seed this time around.

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Derek Watt of Pewaukee has been named the AP’s state high school football player-of-the-year. He’s the younger brother of Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt – and played on both sides of the ball for Pewaukee this season in addition to kicking field goals. Derek Watt ran for 15-hundred-one yards and 25 touchdowns in his senior year – although he was named to the All-State first team as a linebacker. Derek Watt originally said he would play his college ball at Northwestern. But he switched his commitment to the UW after meeting some of the Badger recruits, and seeing his brother perform in the Badgers’ passionate game-day atmosphere at Camp Randall Stadium. Steve Rux of Waukesha West is the AP’s coach-of-the-year. He led West to a Division-One state title, carrying a pager on the sidelines in case a donor is found for the heart transplant that his two-year-old daughter Calista needs.

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