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Coming off consecutive wins in the Big Ten for the first time this season, the University of Wisconsin women?s basketball team hopes to continue its strong play Thursday when it visits Indiana. After an abysmal start to conference play, the Badgers? defense has stepped up lately, resulting in a successful home stand.

Going into Indiana, Wisconsin has only won two out of 26 games at Bloomington, and in last year?s matchup there, the Hoosiers started out the game on a 19-0 run, finishing with a dominating performance over the Badgers.

?We have to have a strong start,? Wisconsin head coach Lisa Stone said. ?Talking history, it was 19-zip there last year to start the game. ? We have to come out strong on both sides of the ball.?

So far, Indiana has performed well in the Big Ten in comparison to Wisconsin. The Hoosiers boast a 5-3 record, and after losing four straight games to Big Ten opponents, Indiana has bounced back with consecutive wins.

?They?re a really hardworking team,? senior Danielle Ward said. ?They have really good players. They have key players that have stepped up this year. ? We need to play the best that we can.?

While the Badgers have been performing well offensively, their defense has been particularly impressive, forcing 30 turnovers in the past two games. Even with these drastic improvements, Stone continues to stress the importance of team defense through the rest of the season.

?We emphasize defense a lot,? sophomore guard Rae Lin D?Alie said. ?Especially these past couple weeks where we?ve been putting a lot of focus on the defensive end, and it has really paid off. There really are drastic changes.?

With Wisconsin?s defensive improvements, though, Indiana will provide a challenge for the Badgers? offense, showing a zone defense like none the Badgers have faced so far this season.

?I think Indiana?s a great team. They have a lot of players who are really good,? Stone said. ?They play solid defense. ? It has a much different look than any other team we?ve played all year.?

Despite its recent strong play, the fact remains that Wisconsin has dug itself a rather deep hole. With a 3-6 record in the Big Ten, the Badgers currently sit in ninth place in the conference.

Furthermore, the Badgers have relied on their bench to provide rest and scoring when the team?s best players are not performing. In its recent wins, Lin Zastrow has been the top performer, averaging 13.0 points over the last three games. Also, with the post presence being a major factor for Wisconsin?s success, Zastrow?s play is vital to the team?s success.

?If you?re able to have players come off the bench and contribute, it helps out a lot,? Ward said. ?It helps out in many ways, I think it?s awesome that we have players that can come off the bench and contribute. It allows us to mix things up and get more players to contribute in different ways.?

Playing at Indiana, followed by Penn State ? a location where the Badgers have never won ? Wisconsin has a tough schedule ahead, but Stone knows her team?s ability to make plays and accomplish team goals.

?We?re going to go down to Indiana and take care of Indiana by great team effort and solid defense,? Stone said. ?In many ways, on paper it looks like a daunting task, but it?s something that I?m never going to bring up to my team. They always hear from me how much I believe in them and how much I know that we can be successful.?

Moreover, besides Stone?s confidence, the team feels ready to compete as well. Finally breaking out of a long slump, the Badgers are playing with confidence and high amounts of energy going into their road trip.

?I definitely feel like we?re playing really well right now,? D?Alie said. ?We have that inside presence going, and it just feels really good right now. I think this is a good test for us to have a road game like this to see if we?re ready to really get this thing taking off.?