The underdog
UW women?s basketball team played an aggressive game and fought well under
pressure, but it fell short in a must-win game Sunday in front of a season-high
home crowd.

Witnessed by
nearly 10,000 fans, as well as the national ESPN2 audience, the spotlight had
never shone brighter on the Badgers this season. Looking at a possible 4-8 Big
Ten record, UW needed a win at home against a ranked opponent. Responding well
with a high-intensity battle, Wisconsin ultimately failed to piece together two
complete halves against No. 19 Ohio State.

Determined
to pull the upset, Wisconsin came into Sunday?s matchup focusing on defense. On
the court, it became obvious UW was going to play unrelenting defense against
the quicker OSU offense. At the half, the team?s efforts were evident with
eight total steals and three blocked shots.

“We’re
a team that’s fighting. We’re fighting like cats and dogs right now, in a good
way,? UW head coach Lisa Stone said. ?We’re playing good basketball; we’ve got
some intensity defensively. Rebounding, we’re tougher, and we?re putting some
numbers on the board.?

The
Buckeyes, currently third in the Big Ten title race, needed the win as much as
the Badgers. The result was a hard-fought game, with players from both teams
hitting the floor and battling for every loose ball.

?I don’t we
think we liked who we were in the first half, and I think to their credit they
stepped up. I thought we had terrific senior leadership,? Ohio State head coach
Jim Foster said. ?I thought Jantel (Lavender) decided that she was going to
really go after the ball aggressively. I think both of those things helped us immensely.?

Forcing 15
Buckeye turnovers and snatching 10 steals on the game, the Badgers forced Ohio
State into an uncomfortable situation early on before the half.

A refocused
Ohio State team emerged from the locker room after the half, playing a more
aggressive defense that stalled the Badger offense for nearly 10 fateful minutes.

?I love
close games,? Buckeye center Jantel Lavender said. ?They force us to want to
win and really dig in.?

Fighting to
regain a lead late in the game, the Badgers forced two steals as a result of
aggressive full-court press. Even while not getting steals, the team tallied a
number of tipped balls and interrupted many Ohio State passing lanes.

?I think our
post players did a particularly good job in the first half, and in the second
half, [Lavender] just kind of went off on us,? UW senior Jolene Anderson said. 

“But in the first half, we did kind of get them hustled around a little bit.
That’s our style. So we came out strong and aggressively, but we just didn’t do
that in the second half.?

Offensively,
the intensity and hustle were just as prevalent. The Badgers won the rebounding
battle, most notably on the offensive end, allowing for easy put-backs.

Looking
ahead, Wisconsin has three of the remaining six games at home, giving them a
chance to rebuild the momentum that has dwindled after losing two of the past
three.

“We?ve
got to keep fighting and I think that they showed that, they really did. We
could’ve quit. ? We knew that Ohio State was going to make a run and we wanted
to sustain it,? Stone said. ?We want to take the positives from this game, not
the negatives. There are too many positive things to take from this game.?