The Wisconsin women's basketball team and head coach Lisa Stone know how important it is to be on a hot streak as the season winds down.

The Badgers picked up their second conference victory with a 75-65 decision over Michigan Sunday and they hope to use that win as a springboard for the duration of conference play.

"We needed one and it will hopefully start the push that we want to make," Stone said.

But for the team to continue to make noise in the remainder of the season and the conference tournament they will have to start to get healthy, and the Badgers took a step in the right direction with the return of sophomore guard Janese Banks to the lineup last Thursday. After being out for five games, she played 18 minutes at Ohio State and she increased that to 32 minutes on Sunday, nearly recording a double-double with ten points and nine rebounds.

"A key thing to make note of is the fact that Banks is back," Stone said. "When you can have another perimeter player on the floor, [Banks’] presence defensively and her ball-handling can take a lot of pressure off of Jolene [Anderson]. Jolene has to expend a ton of energy and you have to throw caution to the wind in some regard in this part of the season and when you want to make a push. And now a complimentary player to Jolene will help spread the wealth a little bit."

Late in the season the four seniors on the squad are really being looked to for leadership as they play in their last games at the Kohl Center. Stone said she is proud of how Ashley Josephson, Annie Nelson, Kjersten Bakke and Jordan Wilson have come into their own since arriving on campus.

"Those four seniors are just quality people both on the court and in the classroom," Stone said. "This is the season that they have been looking for, all four years. Whether they are on the court or not, they are trying to provide as much leadership as possible. The people that were smiling the most after yesterday's game were the seniors. That's what the seniors want to be remembered by. They want to go out with a memorable record and we want our seniors to help lead us as we try to make this late push."

Of those seniors, Bakke and Nelson have been playing limited minutes due to injury. Nelson has been out with a right shoulder injury and Stone is unsure of when she will return.

"It's similar to Banks as far as time to heal," Stone said. "Annie wants to be back out there and when you're a senior, there's no question. [Sunday's] game wasn't one to certainly risk it. We hope to get her back in the loop because she's one of our more fundamentally sound post players and we could use her back. But as of right now, she is day-to-day. She's practicing but in her position she takes a lot of shots and it's very physical inside. It's sore, it's just flat out sore and it's going to take some time."

Taking her place inside has been fellow senior Wilson, who has seen her playing time increase throughout the year. She has been a part-time starter during her career at UW, including starting eight games so far this year.

"We'd like Jordan to break out right now," Stone said. "She likes to hit people, she's an undersized post player but she's got that aggressive look in her eye. She gives us a presence inside and she needs to knock down that 10-15 foot shot down at the free throw line."

The Badgers will look to get their first back-to-back conference wins of the season as they take on Indiana at home this Thursday. A victory will be a huge step towards a strong finish in conference play and improved seeding in the conference tournament.

"Our guards were tremendous [Sunday], not only knocking down shots but handling the ball too," Stone said, before reiterating the challenge that awaits the team Thursday. "But we've got a tough test in Indiana at home. I'm glad we're at home and I'm glad we don't go to Indiana this year because they're tough at home. What we hope will happen are the mid-season goals that we had reassessed so we can get to where we want to be for the Big Ten Tournament and it can still happen."