The Wisconsin women’s basetball team returns to the Kohl Center Thursday night to play Michigan State, looking to end its three-game losing streak.
Wisconsin’s last two losses came in tough road contests against No. 9 Ohio State and No. 12 Penn State – two teams that were able to capitalize on the Badgers’ mistakes.
“We just have to play better,” head coach Bobbie Kelsey said. “We have to close out the games. We can’t make these silly mistakes and think they’re not going to capitalize on them. The good teams do, so we have to play perfect to win.”
Wisconsin is looking to get a spark from junior guard Taylor Wurtz, who leads the team in scoring with an average of 16.2 points per game. The Badgers are also looking for sophomore guard Morgan Paige (9.6 points per game) and senior forward Anya Covington (10.5 points per game) to help the Badgers end their three game losing streak.
The Badgers struggled shooting in their last game versus Penn State, making just 37 percent of their shots from the field (19 of 51), including 1-of-12 from the three. This was coming off a game where the Badgers set a school record in making 12 three-pointers in a loss against Ohio State.
“It might’ve been one of those days,” Paige said of the shooting woes against Penn State. “We missed a lot of open looks against Penn State. I think it’s just getting that extra time in to work on those shots and having confidence to make those shots.
“I would say we’re pretty optimistic.”
Michigan State enters the contest having won three of its last four games. The Badgers will have to try and slow down one of the best players in the Big Ten when they matchup against Michigan State’s Porsche Poole. Poole, a senior guard for the Spartans, is averaging 24.4 points per game over the last three weeks, which is the best in the Big Ten over that span of time.
“She’s a good player,” Kelsey said of Poole. “She’s going to get her shots up. We can’t let her get wide-open looks and layups. We have to get the ball out of her hands and make somebody else beat us.”
Michigan State swept Wisconsin in both of their meetings last year, including a 73-70 overtime victory at the Kohl Center. This is be the only meeting between the Badgers and the Spartans this season.
The Badgers are looking to get back on track since their three-game losing streak was preceded by a three-game winning streak. The Badgers are in the middle of a stretch of their schedule in which they play three out of four games against ranked opponents, with Michigan State being the only unranked opponent in that stretch.
Covington, however, isn’t buying Wisconsin’s tough schedule as an excuse.
“Our schedule is tough, but we just look at it one game at a time. Every opponent is worth preparing for and worth bringing our all, so that’s what we’re focused on against Michigan State.”
Thursday night’s game will also feature Play 4Kay, a breast cancer awareness program supported by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The idea is to spread the awareness of breast cancer in women’s basketball, campuses and communities. The game will also help support the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
“It’s huge to play on a day where we can acknowledge cancer survivors and those we’ve lost to cancer,” Covington said about the game. “It’s an honor to play for that cause. It’s just amazing, and hopefully it will give us a boost.”
Kelsey said she’s proud to support a cause that affects everybody.
“I have had relatives beat breast cancer,” Kelsey said. “It’s important whether you have had a relative or not. It should be important to men, women and kids. Everyone is affected by it in some way, shape or form. It’s a great cause, and we need to find a cure because you never know when it might affect you personally.”
