[media-credit name=’AJ MACLEAN/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Looking to right the ship after a three-game losing streak, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team (10-14, 4-10 Big Ten) will return home for their final home game of the season when they host the visiting Northwestern Wildcats (5-22, 2-12) Wednesday night.

“We played three ranked teams, two of them on the road … against a very talented Minnesota team, and Michigan State and Penn State,” UW head coach Lisa Stone said. “I’m not making any excuses. It’s just a very tough part of our schedule.”

A Wisconsin victory would also go a long way to healing the Badgers’ bruised egos. Stone’s squad has suffered crushing defeats against three of the Big Ten’s elite squads in recent weeks. In their last three contests against top-25 teams, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 24 Penn State and No. 15 Minnesota, Wisconsin has lost by an average of 29.3 points per game.

A senior day victory for the Badgers would propel the Badgers to an 11-14 overall and 5-10 conference record, giving the team a one-game improvement from last season in both records. A win would also extend Wisconsin’s winning streak to 13 straight games over the Wildcats.

“When you look at where we have to finish, we want to finish strong, carry some momentum into the tournament, into the off-season and get ready for next year,” Stone said. “Right now it’s important that we just get back on track and try to finish with some momentum here into the postseason.”

With the toughest part of their late season schedule in the rear view mirror, the Badgers will try to finish their season on a positive note, starting Wednesday night against the Wildcats. The Badgers escaped Evanston, Ill., with a narrow 64-62 victory earlier this season to earn their first conference victory of the season.

In the two teams’ first matchup, senior co-captain Stephanie Rich carried the Badgers. Rich dropped 22 points and snared six steals in the first meeting and hit a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. Playing in the last home game of her career, the moment will certainly be special for the Crawfordsville, Iowa, native, as well as for the coaching staff.

“When you’re looking at a Stephanie Rich as a point guard and having to play out of position all four years, you can’t take away any of her work ethic or what she’s brought to the table,” Stone said.

Another senior enjoying her final Kohl Center experience will be forward Ebba Gebisa. The other co-captain this season, Gebisa saw 10 minutes of action in the first meeting between the two teams. The West Layfeyette, Ind., native scored two points and had one rebound and assist in the contest

But Gebisa has seen her minutes and production increase in recent weeks. Since regaining her starting position Jan. 27 against then-No.3-ranked Ohio State, Gebisa has averaged 19.5 minutes, 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while becoming a high-effort defensive presence inside for the Badgers.

“Ebba’s attitude and her demeanor, her classiness, her intelligence, etc.,” Stone said. [Rich and Gebisa] are going to be very, very successful. Our young people need to look up to them from a standpoint of their completeness.”

Northwestern will try to counter the Badger attack with the senior inside-outside tandem of its own. Seniors Samantha McComb and Sarah Kwasinski provide the senior leadership for the Wildcats.

Kwasinski leads the Wildcats in points, averaging 11.6 per game, and blocks, amassing 35 swats on the year. The forward has also chipped in 4.8 rebounds per game, though she struggled against Wisconsin earlier this season, posting only five points and five rebounds.

Northwestern’s floor general, McComb, averages a team leading 32.3 minutes per game while also dishing out 3.7 assists per game, sixth in the Big Ten. Unlike Kwasinski, however, McComb did not struggle against the Badgers in the first matchup, leading her team with 14 points, nearly twice her season average.

Coach Stone realizes the last few games have been difficult, but believes her team is past those losses and ready to practice hard to stop Kwasinski and McComb.

“You try to continue plugging away,” Stone said. “After the Penn State game, I’ll be honest, our kids were down. Their confidence was down. Build the team up. Put your band-aid on it and let’s go. And we did against Minnesota. The demeanor was different. The locker room was different. Today’s practice will be inspired as we get ready for Wednesday.”