The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team takes on the University of Dayton Wednesday evening at the Kohl Center in search of UW’s first win under new head coach Jonathon Tsipis.
Winless in their first two outings, Tsipis and the Badgers could benefit from a strong showing at home against a beatable opponent Wednesday night to help right their early skid.
The Badgers aren’t the only team looking to find their feet Wednesday night. Dayton has split their first two games, and both teams are fresh off tough three-point losses last Sunday.
Everything you need to know about women’s basketball’s first male head coach, Jonathan Tsipis
Former George Washington University coach, Jonathan Tsipis, was acquired by UW this offseason with hopes of leading a youthful Badger core to experienced success in 2016. He had a competitive tenure at GW, with two NCAA Tournaments appearances culminated by a remarkable 93-38 record through his four years with the Colonials.
The Badgers’ sole returning starter, senior guard Avyanna Young, played like it in Wisconsin’s game against Saint Francis University Sunday. Young was a monster on the boards, pulling down an impressive 15 rebounds in the loss. Junior guard Cayla Morris did her part as well, contributing a career-high 31 points.
Wisconsin hopes to build on the offensive positives from last game against a solid Dayton defense, who recorded five steals and four blocks against Quinnipiac University in the Flyers’ season opener. Although their defense played well enough to win the team’s first contest of the season, Dayton’s offense committed an abominable 20 turnovers.
The Badgers, having eclipsed the century mark in points for the first time since 2004, should be able to score plenty of easy buckets if the Flyers fail to protect the lane on the road Wednesday night.
The same, however, goes for the Badger defense. The Badger defense from Sunday practically made the Flyers look efficient in Dayton’s last performance. A showing that included 29 points off of 25 turnovers, and a decisive factor in the 103-100 loss.
Women’s basketball: Badgers fall short in first two games of season under Tsipis reign
Both teams are impressive rebounders. The opposing matchup between the Wisconsin youth and Dayton’s 6-foot-3 forward Alex Harris will be an important one in the battle beneath the rim.
In order to compete, Dayton will need more out of sophomore and junior guards Lauren Cannatelli and Jenna Burdette. The pair contributed only 14 and 10 points respectively in their team’s 60-point total.
The Badgers will look to use the offensive explosion from their previous game as a jumping off point against the Flyers, but ideally without the embarrassing turnover numbers.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center, with live coverage airing on BTN PLUS.
