Two games into a season chalk full of high expectations and the Wisconsin women’s basketball team sits at 2-0 and is happy to have gotten off to a fast start.
The Badgers have already beaten the St. Louis Billikens on the road and the William & Mary Tribe at home.
This preseason, head coach Lisa Stone and her players have said how close-knit this team is and that no one player is going to be above the team. The Badgers probably didn’t expect to have that theory tested so early in the season, but they have, and the Badgers have responded like the cohesive unit they claim to be.
Senior captain Alyssa Karel and junior guard Tiera Stephen both missed Wisconsin’s first two games of the regular season. That has meant increased minutes for young players such as freshman guard Morgan Paige. Paige has started both games in Karel’s absence and according to Stone played with a calmness about her you wouldn’t expect from a freshman.
“We are finding some personality traits in these early games with the absence of some players,” said Stone after Sunday’s win against the Tribe.
Morgan Paige isn’t the only player stepping up. Despite the voids in the lineup due to injury, senior forward Tara Steinbauer feels like leadership is a team effort.
“There is the idea that every game someone has got to step up, [and] I think the team as a whole has done a great job compensating for the leadership [that may be missing],” said Steinbauer. “This year it is like all of us take on a big leadership role. For me in particular I just like to be a leader on the court, and hopefully that transcends to my teammates.”
Steinbauer has definitely let her play speak for itself. She has two double-doubles already, shooting 64 percent from the floor and averaging 11.5 rebounds.
There are two statistics that Stone looks for after each game. One is the field goal percentage of the other team, and the other is turnovers. In its two victories thus far, Wisconsin has held opponents to under 30 percent shooting in both games.
UW held St. Louis to 21 percent shooting from the floor on the road Friday and held William and Mary to 27 percent on Sunday. Wisconsin won both games by 28 points and 27 respectively. Playing that type of defense can cover up some of the mistakes a team makes, such as Wisconsin’s 16 turnovers against Saint Louis. Stone was very happy with the improvement from Friday to Sunday where the Badgers only turned the ball over eight times and just three in the second half.
Another important aspect to Wisconsin’s game is its ability to get points at the free throw line. The Badgers have gotten to the charity stripe 42 times in their first two games, hitting almost 74 percent.
“I love the fact that we are getting to the free throw line 20-plus times, taking care of the ball,” said Stone, “but probably most importantly is the fact that our players are understanding we’re nowhere near where we need to be yet, but we’re showing progress and that is the best part of this.”
It might seem curious that holding two opponents to less than 30 percent shooting may not be good enough, but Stone recognizes how tough the Badgers’ schedule will be down the stretch. Wisconsin has a difficult non-conference matchups it hopes will prepare it for a run at the Big Ten Championship. Wisconsin will play non-conference foes UW-Green Bay, Kansas, Oklahoma State – all of which have received votes in the rankings – and most notably No. 6 Duke all in the next month.
The early adversity the Badgers are facing will give some of their younger players a chance to gain important experience and develop the fundamentals that will help their depth later in the season. Wisconsin will look for all of its players to get back from injury and try to continue demonstrating why the basics of basketball win games. Tough defense, protecting the ball and getting to the free throw line may not sound like the flashiest kind game, but it is what Wisconsin needs to do if the Badgers want to meet their expectations of hanging a conference championship banner.
