Good basketball players not only score points, but open up the court when double-teamed so their teammates can score as well.
Wisconsin shot 34.8% from behind the arc and Northern Illinois failed to make a three as the Huskies’ main focus was on keeping junior forward Michala Johnson out of the paint.
"You have to send two people at [Johnson] and she was able to spread their defense and allow our shooters to shoot. Our team was ready to shoot when the ball was passed and that's how we were able to win," said [Head Coach] Bobbie Kelsey.
Sharp shooting and solid defense propelled Wisconsin (3-0) to a 71-51 victory over Northern Illinois (1-2) at the Kohl Center Sunday.
With this win, Wisconsin improves to 3-0 for the first time since the 2009-’10 season.
Senior center Jacki Gulczynski honored her brother today who died in Afghanistan in 2008. She was able to outscore all other players with 15 points. Her three pointers came at big moments in the game and opened up the middle of the court.
"Taylor and Jackie opened up the game with 3-pointers when we needed them the most,” Kelsey said. “That's why they're the captains. They know what we need and how to adjust to defensive strategies.”
Johnson finished with another double-double as she continues to solidify her post presence, scoring 12 points and bringing in 10 rebounds. Nine out of her 10 rebounds came on the defensive side of the court.
Captains Johnson, Gulczynski, and senior guard Taylor Wurtz all finished with double-digit point totals and combined for 27 of the 47 Wisconsin rebounds.
Northern Illinois Head Coach Kathi Bennett wasn't surprised by the impressive play of the Badgers’ starters.
"Wisconsin is a very smart team and they definitely play well together,” Bennett said. “Their size and length really affected us. We picked our poison and let them shoot some threes. We really tried to contest the lane but there were times where [Johnson] went off.”
