Sports

Wisconsin getting better

Despite a shaky 1-6 Big Ten start, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team has pulled to .500 with a win Saturday against border rival Minnesota. Now 8-8 in the Big Ten, the Badgers continue to climb the conference standings, going 7-2 in their past nine games and currently riding a four-game win streak.

“To say that we endured a week of three games in 4 1/2 days, and not in six or more days, [I’m] really proud of our kids,” head coach Lisa Stone said in her Monday press conference. “We got some momentum; we’re playing very well together, getting great production out of our bench and excited about this week. Keep it going. That’s the main focus.”

The team has been trying to live up to expectations, hoping to make the NCAA tournament this year. A much needed road victory against the Gophers (9-8, fourth in the Big Ten) Saturday helped the Badger cause, as the team was able to win in “The Barn” for the first time since 2001. This is the first .500 record for the team all season.

“Every game is important to us, no matter where we’re playing. If we’re at home right now, we have two games remaining on our schedule, and, you know, we’re on a little bit of a streak right now,” Stone said. “We can’t stop now. We’ve got to keep it going.”

 

Senior night coming up

Accompanying the win was the 21-point performance of senior star Jolene Anderson, who set the all-time scoring record for UW this past week. With three wins and a scoring record, Anderson couldn’t ask for anything more, but she also received the Big Ten Player of the Week honor for the third time this season.

Anderson and her fellow seniors will be honored in the final home game on Sunday for the annual senior night.

“We’ve been working on the Senior Salute for Sunday, putting some things together,” Stone said. “I met with Danielle [Ward] and Jolene, just talking about this being their last week of the regular season practice and what they’ve done for the program and what they still can do.”
With four seniors this season, three of them starters, Stone said each has been an important part of the team this year, in their own respective way.

“They’ve been with us for four years. … Jo and Janese [Banks] have started every single game since they’ve been here. Danielle is playing very well in her senior year. And Ivana [Mijalcevic] has been a nice addition in terms of being the team mom and making sure that there’s a positive vibe in the locker room,” Stone said. “Each of them has a role, and I think our entire team understands their roles.”

Focusing on Anderson and Banks, these players have contributed their share and gotten their names etched into the record books here at UW. With all of the hype surrounding Anderson, Banks’ achievements have lost some of the limelight but are noteworthy nonetheless. Currently, she is 14 points shy of becoming the 10th 1,500 points-scorer in UW women’s basketball history.

“Janese has been a great leader, both on and off the court. She has done a ton of things in the community as well as what she’s done on the court,” Stone said. “She surpassed and became one of our top 10 scorers in school history.”

 

Michigan and postseason await

Michigan welcomes this hot Wisconsin team on Wednesday in a rematch of a game the Badgers lost in overtime earlier this season in Madison.

“We’re going to have to go in there with a very tough mentality, because we’ve got some work to do. They’re a very, very fine team,” Stone said. “They’re 10-1 overall at home, and it’s an environment that we’ve had success in the past. We’re playing well right now, and hopefully we can keep momentum going.”

Also being tested on Wednesday will be Wisconsin perimeter defense, as Michigan leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goals, both made and attempted.

Looking past this week, the Badgers will enter the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis and hope for a bid into the NCAA tournament.

“With two remaining games, a lot can happen with other teams, but we have to win our games,” Stone said. “We’ve got tremendous momentum going into the Big Ten Tournament, and our kids are excited.”