Playing in front of its largest home crowd of the season (9,442), the UW women’s basketball team was able to put together its first back-to-back victories of the season.
In their 68-56 defeat of the Michigan Wolverines, the Badgers received some outstanding individual performances from both Shawna Nichols and Lello Gebisa.
With yesterday’s win, Wisconsin improves to 4-5 in the Big Ten (6-14 overall) and the 7th spot in the conference.
Although Michigan’s tough 1-3-1 zone defense has plagued a number of teams throughout the season, including conference leader Penn State (8-1, 18-5), Wisconsin was seemingly unfazed by the Wolverines’ defensive pressure, shooting 54 percent from the field and converting on seven of 11 attempts from beyond the arc.
“I thought that their 1-3-1 zone defense was really never a factor,” said UW head coach Jane Albright. “There’s not a lot of teams in the Big Ten that play that 1-3-1 … they almost beat Penn State with that 1-3-1, and fortunately, we were able to come up with something to fight that.”
With Stephanie Rich and the Wisconsin backcourt unable to knock down a number of key outside jumpers against the zone, it was the UW frontcourt that paced the Badgers’ offensive attack throughout the game.
Despite facing Jennifer Smith, one of the toughest interior players in the Big Ten, the Badgers, and Lello Gebisa in particular, were able to find open looks at the basket all day long.
“Lello (Gebisa) did a great job of attacking the basket,” Albright said. “After the last game, I asked her how many shots she had taken from the paint, because I love it when Lello gets in the paint. When she gets in the paint, I don’t think that there’s anybody that can guard her … she really mixed up her moves and was very aggressive with her driving, hook shots and drop steps. I really thought she had a showcase of post moves.”
The Badgers were without freshman point guard Ashley Josephson, who sat out with a back injury, but fellow freshman Shawna Nichols was able to step in and play a solid overall game.
Nichols finished with eight points, three assists and a steal, but her greatest contribution to the Badgers’ success didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Her defensive tenacity is what kept the Wolverines on their heels all day.
“Shawna was a real spark for us today. I really thought she was a very calming force for us sometimes but also a very exciting force … that’s kind of a paradox, but she very much does that for us,” Albright said. “Shawna made some great passes, and she just has a great feel for the game.”
The Badgers were able to shoot 64 percent from beyond the arc, and it was Nichols’ 3-pointer in the waning moments of the first half that gave UW a 21-18 lead; a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
“I just feel a lot more confident with the ball when I’m open now,” Nichols said. “I’m thinking a lot more positively about making those shots and even taking those shots … they fell today.”
With Ebba and Lello Gebisa leading the team in the scoring and Nichols’ presence in the backcourt, the Badgers were able to upend Michigan and its 1-3-1 zone defense. With seven conference games remaining on their schedule before the Big Ten tournament, including all-important matchups with Penn State and Minnesota, UW hopes to replicate yesterday’s performance and build on their current two-game winning streak.
