Following a strong victory against Air Force in their regular season opener Friday, the University of Wisconsin women's basketball team returns to the Kohl Center Tuesday night for their first home game of the season. Junior guards Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks will look to lead the Badgers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) as they play host to the Western Michigan Broncos (0-1, 0-0 MAC).
Banks is coming off a career-high 28-point game against Air Force, a feat that earned her Big Ten Player of the Week honors, her first time receiving the award.
"It's definitely a nice honor to be recognized by the Big Ten," Banks said. "I wouldn't get it without my teammates. It was a team win. The individual honor feels good, but the win definitely comes before it."
Anderson put together a solid game as well. She tallied 23 points, including five three-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds.
"Jolene and Janese were probably the best I've ever seen them together," UW head coach Lisa Stone said of the duo. "I think the fact that they're playing at a high level helps others feel that much more relaxed."
Western Michigan comes in having dropped their first contest of the year 87-83 to the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Guard Carrie Moore, one of five seniors on the team, led the Broncos in scoring with 27 points and earned preseason honors, being named to the All-MAC West Division team. As one of what coach Stone calls the "big three," she will be one of the main focuses of Wisconsin's defense.
"Moore is terrific," Stone said. "She's just a great player."
The Badgers will also keep their eyes on speedy sophomore point guard Tiera DeLaHoussaye and senior power forward Lindsay Brown. Both scored 17 points in the team's first game.
"Their post player inside [Brown] is good," Stone said. "She's got a big body on her, and she can bang inside."
Freshman Rae Lin D'Alie will have the task of guarding DeLaHoussaye.
"She's a lefty, and she likes to shoot it," Stone said. "She's quick and she looks for Moore. Those two look for each other all the time."
"[DeLaHoussaye] likes to run in transition," Banks said. "What we have to do is contain her in the open court and not let her just get out and do what she wants to do."
Many of the Badgers see a little bit of themselves in Western Michigan.
"It seems a lot of us are alike," D'Alie said. "They've got a really good guard that can shoot. Jolene and Janese, they can really shoot and they're both athletic. It looks like we match up really well with them. It's just going to be a battle of who wants it more."
"I think we match up pretty good," freshman forward Mariah Dunham added. "Our team has a lot of athletic players as well."
While the Wisconsin roster boasts no seniors, Western Michigan has five. Although they may lack experience playing together as a team, the Badgers feel it's all about attitude.
"Age is just a number," D'Alie said. "I truly believe that. They're coming into our house. We're definitely ready."
"Having a veteran team come in like Western Michigan, our focus has to be the best that it's ever been," Anderson said. "We have to be on the same page."
The game will mark the third time Coach Stone's squad has played in the Kohl Center this year. In their first two exhibition games, UW beat up on a pair of lesser division teams, including a 50-point rout of Winona State.
"Having the record count now means a lot to us," Anderson said. "Our mindset and our focus has to be like it was on Friday. If our focus is great, that obviously leads to great things."
Stone would like to see her team build a home-court advantage and winning streak much like what the men's team has developed.
"We'd like to establish a tradition here in the Kohl Center, very much like our men," Stone said. "They have a streak going on here, and we'd like to start something special for women's basketball as well."