Before the season, Wisconsin head coach Jane Albright lamented her players’ rebounding abilities.
“We’re looking for that player who will fight for rebounds,” Albright said, “but we haven’t found her yet.”
Now, Albright’s search may be over.
In Wisconsin’s first meaningful game of the new season, Jessie Stomski grabbed 13 rebounds – seven of them offensive — and scored 22 points as the Badgers defeated the 19th-ranked Washington Huskies, 87-67.
Forward Tamara Moore added 18 points, and guard Kyle Black tallied 21 in Wisconsin’s third victory over a ranked opponent in its last 15 tries.
Stomski led the Badgers under the baskets, but Moore generated most of Wisconsin’s offense. Moore, the Badgers’ starting small forward, played much of the game at point guard. She contributed 18 points and eight assists, and her drives to the basket drew enough attention from Washington’s defenders to create open looks for her teammates.
“Moore just broke us down on the dribble all night,” Washington head coach June Daugherty said. “That was the biggest problem, I think, defensively for us. Every time we made a shift, usually she drew too many players on our end of things, and she kicked it out for the open shot.”
Moore, who led the Big Ten in steals last season, played just as well on defense. Matched up with Washington’s starting point guard Giuliana Mendiola, she forced six steals and held Mendiola to nine points off nine shots.
“I wanted to just put any pressure I could on her and make her have to make either a bad pass or have a tough time getting an entry pass,” Moore said.
Most of Washington’s offense came from two players: point guard Loree Payne and center Andrea Lalum. Lalum scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Payne made four of her six three-point attempts on her way to scoring 16.
From the first tip-off, Wisconsin appeared more energized than Washington, which also played Friday night, against Montana State. The Badgers made four of their first five shots and speeded to a 10-2 lead in the game’s first four minutes. By halftime they had built a comfortable 43-33 lead.
In the second half, however, the Huskies intensified their play on both ends of the floor. With Wisconsin shooting almost 50 percent in the first half, Washington switched to a zone defense and held the Badgers to only 11 points in the first 12 minutes of the second period.
On offense, Washington’s shots started to fall. After making only two of seven first-half shots, Lalum scored 10 points in 10 minutes. The Huskies made seven of their first 10 attempts in the second half, and with nine minutes left in the game they cut Wisconsin’s lead to one point.
But they didn’t get any closer. Wisconsin called a timeout, and on its next possession Stomski rebounded two of Wisconsin’s missed shots. Moore converted the next shot, and Wisconsin led by at least three points for the rest of the game.
“I thought their seniors were great — just outstanding players, floor leaders,” Daugherty said. “I thought anytime we made a run, Moore or Stomski or Black were ready to answer the call.”
Ultimately, the Badgers won the game with their hustle. Wisconsin scored 38 points in the paint, compared with only 28 by Washington. The Badgers also parlayed 19 Washington turnovers into 24 points, and they didn’t allow the Huskies to score a single fast-break basket.
“When they made a very, very good, big run at us, I thought we played some awesome defense,” Albright said. “We came up with a couple of key steals, and we were able to convert.”