SPORTS
Aggressive defense still lets OSU prevail
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Also by Mitch Goza:
- OSU offers UW shot at revenge (February 8, 2008)
- Streaking Badgers still alive in Big Ten (January 29, 2008)
- Wisconsin dominates Northwestern from start (January 28, 2008)
- Zastrow posts career night (January 25, 2008)
- Women's hoops takes aim at ending losing ways (January 24, 2008)
Related Stories:
- OSU offers UW shot at revenge (February 8, 2008)
- Anderson joins the club (February 19, 2007)
- Badgerball attempts to get back on track (February 1, 2002)
- Men's basketball prepares for Wolverine attack (February 20, 2004)
by Mitch Goza
Monday, February 11, 2008
The underdog UW women’s basketball team played an aggressive game and fought well under pressure, but it fell short in a must-win game Sunday in front of a season-high home crowd.
Witnessed by nearly 10,000 fans, as well as the national ESPN2 audience, the spotlight had never shone brighter on the Badgers this season. Looking at a possible 4-8 Big Ten record, UW needed a win at home against a ranked opponent. Responding well with a high-intensity battle, Wisconsin ultimately failed to piece together two complete halves against No. 19 Ohio State.
Determined to pull the upset, Wisconsin came into Sunday’s matchup focusing on defense. On the court, it became obvious UW was going to play unrelenting defense against the quicker OSU offense. At the half, the team’s efforts were evident with eight total steals and three blocked shots.
“We’re a team that’s fighting. We’re fighting like cats and dogs right now, in a good way,” UW head coach Lisa Stone said. “We’re playing good basketball; we’ve got some intensity defensively. Rebounding, we’re tougher, and we’re putting some numbers on the board.”
The Buckeyes, currently third in the Big Ten title race, needed the win as much as the Badgers. The result was a hard-fought game, with players from both teams hitting the floor and battling for every loose ball.
“I don’t we think we liked who we were in the first half, and I think to their credit they stepped up. I thought we had terrific senior leadership,” Ohio State head coach Jim Foster said. “I thought Jantel (Lavender) decided that she was going to really go after the ball aggressively. I think both of those things helped us immensely.”
Forcing 15 Buckeye turnovers and snatching 10 steals on the game, the Badgers forced Ohio State into an uncomfortable situation early on before the half.
A refocused Ohio State team emerged from the locker room after the half, playing a more aggressive defense that stalled the Badger offense for nearly 10 fateful minutes.
“I love close games,” Buckeye center Jantel Lavender said. “They force us to want to win and really dig in.”
Fighting to regain a lead late in the game, the Badgers forced two steals as a result of aggressive full-court press. Even while not getting steals, the team tallied a number of tipped balls and interrupted many Ohio State passing lanes.
“I think our post players did a particularly good job in the first half, and in the second half, [Lavender] just kind of went off on us,” UW senior Jolene Anderson said.
“But in the first half, we did kind of get them hustled around a little bit. That’s our style. So we came out strong and aggressively, but we just didn’t do that in the second half.”
Offensively, the intensity and hustle were just as prevalent. The Badgers won the rebounding battle, most notably on the offensive end, allowing for easy put-backs.
Looking ahead, Wisconsin has three of the remaining six games at home, giving them a chance to rebuild the momentum that has dwindled after losing two of the past three.
“We’ve
got to keep fighting and I think that they showed that, they really did. We
could’ve quit. … We knew that Ohio State was going to make a run and we wanted
to sustain it,” Stone said. “We want to take the positives from this game, not
the negatives. There are too many positive things to take from this game.”
Anonymous (February 11, 2008 @ 11:38am):
With a 13 point lead at start of 2nd half, Wisc should have slowed the game down and passed more often. Too many forced shots and their defense lacked intensity shown in 1st half. This is the result of too many minutes on the court by Janese and Jolene. Their defense slowed and showed in 2nd half. Post play was non-existant. This was a game they should have won like many others this season. Pre-season picked 3rd in Big-10 and in top-25 USA ranking, but are now tied for 9th place. Even given their patsy pre-season schedule they are 11-11 and might not even make NIT this year. Turn back the clock. When winninest coach in Wisc history, Jane Albright, failed to get past the first game in NCAA she was given walking papers. The year prior Wisc won the NIT and next year were in the top-10 until they nose-dived and even though they made NCAA Jane's contract was not renewed. Prio to her departure she did get an oral commit from Jolene, so that legacy should be shared with Lisa. What are they going to do next season when they lose their top 3 scorers and rebounders...punt?
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