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Balanced attack leads UW

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Also by Jonah Braun:

UW tries to end home stand well (December 11, 2007)
Balanced scoring attack leads Badgers over Falcons (December 10, 2007)
Depth evident as entire roster sees action (December 5, 2007)
Badgers to fight Panthers (December 4, 2007)
UW nets hoops win (December 3, 2007)

by Jonah Braun

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

In the Badgers rout of UW-Green Bay Tuesday, Wisconsin displayed an impressive line of scoring across the board. In the victory, all five Badger starters scored in double digits for the first time this season.

Wisconsin's last game against Air Force saw four UW players scored in double digits, but this time even more players got involved, including Teah Gant, who was penciled in to the starting lineup just minutes before game time.

"[We had] great sharing of the basketball, tremendous balanced scoring, a great lift by Teah Gant, five in double figures is big for us," UW head coach Lisa Stone said. "Jolene [Anderson] goes to third in the all-time scoring list… It goes on and on."

Though the Badgers shot a dreadful 38.1 percent from the free-throw line, the team displayed a quick pick-and-roll offense that the Phoenix could not seem to stop.

The balanced scoring attack also came as a result of UW-Green Bay's 23 turnovers, and even with the Badgers dominating the game in the turnover category, Janese Banks saw the balanced scoring as a key to Wisconsin's success.

"It allows us to know that we can count on our teammates," Banks said. "We know that we can step up. I thought Danielle [Ward] had a great night, I thought Teah came in and played very well. … I think that when you get all starters in double digits, … I think they know that they just can't count on me and Jolene, they have to respect every player on the floor…"

Team defense was also vital for the Badgers, holding the Phoenix to 35-percent shooting in the second half to turn what was a winnable game for Green Bay into a trouncing at the hands of Wisconsin.

UW-Green Bay head coach Matt Bollant attributed the turnovers and Wisconsin's seemingly easy ability to score to the Badgers' quickness and physical play.

"[Wisconsin's] quickness really made the difference at the start of the game," Bollant said. "They got by us off the dribble with that first step, and we were just slow to recover, not only throughout the first few possessions, but throughout the game."

Seniors Jolene Anderson and Banks continue to lead the Badgers in scoring, notching 20 and 16 points, respectively. After a slow start scoring , Anderson turned her game into gear and picked up 12 second half points.

"It says a lot about Jo," Stone said. "She sees the floor well, passes the ball well, she found the mismatches inside, … my message to the team when we came out of the tunnel was that we wanted to do some certain things, and Jolene made that happen."

Despite the Badgers' poor free-throw shooting, Stone is excited about the team's effort and is happy to see her team improve.

"I feel really good about the way we played against a good team," Stone said. "Outside of the free-throw line, I think that was one of the most complete games we've played all season, and it's a sign of good things to come."

"I am really proud of our team, this was a game we really needed to play like this and hopefully we can forge forward from here."

As for achieving offensive goals, Anderson was relatively happy with the outcome of the game and how the team played too, but noted that the team's energy level could be better.

"It was okay," Anderson said of the team's energy level. "It's something that we have to get better at, and it's something that we have to work on for the rest of this week. But it was better than it has been in the past, but it's not up to an A yet. … It's still something that we need to focus on."

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