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Stone to debut for Wisconsin
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by Michael Robinson
Friday, November 21, 2003
After earning convincing victories in two preseason exhibitions, the UW women’s basketball team will open the regular season at home against Northern Illinois Nov. 23.
The season opener will officially begin head coach Lisa Stone’s debut season at Wisconsin.
“I’m fully expecting a great turnout on Sunday, and I can’t wait to get going,” Stone said. “These kids have really worked hard for me and it’s time now to display their abilities.”
In last year’s season opener, the Badgers suffered a dramatic 49-47 loss to the Huskies on a buzzer-beating shot from Northern Illinois guard Monique Davis.
“I have not forgotten our loss to Northern Illinois,” center Emily Ashbaugh said. “That was not a pleasant feeling.”
Last season’s heartbreaker was Wisconsin’s only loss to Northern Illinois in school history. In seven meetings since 1975, the Badgers hold a 6-1 series record.
However, last season’s loss came under coach Jane Albright and all six victories came under coach Edwina Qualls. The Badgers have never faced the Huskies with Stone at the helm.
“Records are gone now, the slate is fresh,” Stone said. “We’re hoping we can start on the right foot.”
With dominant performances in the preseason exhibition games, in which Wisconsin outscored opponents by an average of 27.5 points, the Badgers have generated momentum heading into the season opener.
“It was huge for us,” Ashbaugh said. “We needed a little confidence, a little boost of assuredness that what we’re doing is towards a good thing. We needed to prove it to ourselves as much as we thought anybody else needed to see it.”
The Badgers dominated inside in exhibition play, out-rebounding opponents 108-59 and holding a 90-32 advantage in points in the paint in the two contests.
Led by 6-foot-7 center Lello Gebisa and 6-foot-5 center Emily Ashbaugh, the Badgers will look to capitalize on their height advantage and continue their inside dominance against the Huskies, who do not have a player listed over 6-foot-3 on their roster.
“With the kind of size that we have, we have to utilize our post players,” Stone said. “They’re tremendous, they’re getting better, they’re getting more physical. We must dominate the paint.”
Establishing a strong post presence will open up the perimeter, providing opportunities for Wisconsin’s outside shooters.
“We have the size, we have the presence, we’ve got the passers and we’ve got the hands,” Ashbaugh said. “I think it’s very important for us to develop ourselves as a strong inside force and to be recognized as that in the Big Ten. Knowing that and establishing that early will open up our outside and just let our shooters have free reign. I think we’re deadly from inside and out.”
Guard Stephanie Rich took advantage of the Badgers’ inside-out game in the exhibitions, averaging a team-leading 23 points in the two contests. In the first exhibition against Minnesota State-Mankato, Rich set an unofficial career high with 29 points and matched her career high with 6 three-pointers. The talented shooter followed her 29-point performance with a double-double in the second exhibition, posting 17 points and 12 rebounds against Wisconsin AAU Select.
“She’s a leader and she knows she has a great supporting cast,” Stone said of Rich. “We’ve got great post players and Steph [Rich] is doing a great job leading the team.”
After averaging 81 points in two exhibition wins, Rich and the Badgers will face a Huskies’ defense that held opponents under 50 points in exhibition play.
“They will be very scrappy defensively,” Stone said.
The Huskies also displayed a potent offense, outscoring opponents by an average of 34.5 points in two exhibition victories.
“They’re a great opponent. They’re well coached, they work hard,” Stone said. “They’re a very tough match-up for us, but I’m hoping we can rise up.”
