SPORTS
Badgers host senior-laden Hoosiers
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Also by Adam Schense:
- Trio of Big Ten powers walking early national title tight rope (September 21, 2005)
- Badgers host senior-laden Hoosiers (February 2, 2006)
- Expectations swell in Stone's 3rd year (November 3, 2005)
- Stone looks for consistency (February 7, 2006)
- Stone's squad getting into swing of things (November 8, 2005)
Related Stories:
- Hoosiers get a reality check (October 29, 2002)
- Hoosiers travel to Mad-town for weekend set (April 16, 2004)
- UW men's soccer won't let Marquette loss stop momentum (November 12, 2002)
- UW finds victory at Indiana for first time since 1977 (February 14, 2002)
- Around the Big Ten (October 22, 2002)
by Adam Schense
Thursday, February 2, 2006
The Indiana Hoosiers are in a position that many thought the Badgers would be midway through the season, in the middle of the pack of the Big Ten. But last year's team that finished just 3-13 in conference has made a great improvement to be sitting in fifth place right now at 5-4 in Big Ten play.
The Badgers are currently sitting in ninth place at 2-7, which is the same spot they finished a year ago.
"Sharon Versyp is a new coach, and she's had tremendous success at Maine. Their zone is very tight, and they have done very, very well and played Michigan State to the wire," UW head coach Lisa Stone said. "They've done well. They beat Iowa at home. They're a solid team with two tremendous perimeter players. I respect her a great deal.
The Hoosiers rely on senior guards Jenny DeMuth and Cyndi Valentine, who are averaging more than 31 points per game.
"[Versyp] inherited two of the best guards in the conference," Stone said. "They have a fifth-year senior in DeMuth, who's one of the Big Ten's best. Their games [Sunday], they both had 24 [points]. They scored 48 of their 55 points in two guards."
Right now 5-foot-10 Demuth is second on the team and ninth in the Big Ten in scoring at 14.3 points per game but is first in rebounding for the Hoosiers at 7.5 per contest to go along with 1.8 steals.
She is a main reason for the Hoosiers improved play because she missed last year's season with a torn ACL.
"Jenny didn't play last year due to an injury, and she's a veteran," Stone said. "Great player. Draws fouls. Both of them get to the free throw line and are tremendous free throw shooters. Cyndi obviously is on a streak right now and is one of the conference's best as far as that goes. We have to keep them off the line. Defensive transition will be key in this game and getting back and finding those two."
Valentine is a 5-foot-8 senior guard that played her high school ball in Bloomington, Ind., and decided to stay there for college. She is a returning All-Big Ten performer that leads the Hoosiers in scoring (17.4), assists (3.5) and steals (2).
The veteran roster continues inside with senior center Angela Hawkins. The Badgers cannot forget about her, as she had a huge day last year against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
"They also have another senior, a post player inside, Hawkins is somebody that you don't want to forget about either," Stone said.
The 6-foot-3 center is third on the team in scoring with just under eight points a game.
Needless to say, the Hoosiers are not lacking leadership.
"Their senior players are just outstanding players. They're playing very, very well and they've got some confidence," Stone said. "They're doing well at home. And they're leaning on great perimeter play and a great post player inside."
The Badgers will have their hands full and will again rely on Jolene Anderson to carry the load. She currently sits fourth in the Big Ten at 17.7 points per game and has scored in double figures in 21 straight games.
The All-Big Ten guard leads the Badgers in nearly every statistical category and has had to deal with the barrage of injuries the team has sustained.
But with the return of Janese Banks to the lineup, some of that load will be lightened, as the second-leading scorer on the team can take away some of the double teams and run the offense.
Wisconsin will also rely on the outside shooting of Ashley Josephson to beat the Indiana zone. She had five three-pointers in Sunday's win over Michigan and a season-high 23 points.
Josephson leads the team in three-point field goals, shooting just under 38 percent.
A win tonight would be three out of four for the Badgers and the first back-to-back win since starting the year 4-0. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at the Kohl Center.
Anonymous (February 2, 2006 @ 4:32pm):
You spelled an Indiana player's last name incorrectly. It's Valentin, not Valentine.
