This Sunday, the Wisconsin women's basketball team will play to a sellout crowd at the Kohl Center for the first time in team history. More than 17,000 fans will \Cram the Kohl"" to watch the Badgers take on the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. As of Jan. 16, Wisconsin has a 15-1 overall record including a 6-0 conference record, their best start ever. Notching 14-straight victories, the team is also in the middle of their longest winning streak in history. The Badgers are also fifth in the polls, breaking the top 10 for the first time since 1998.
""I think the mental toughness is really playing off,"" Head Coach Jane Albright said. ""When they get in tough situations, they just play really mentally tough.""
Three big factors for the team's success are the leadership and strong play of seniors Kyle Black, Tamara Moore and Jessie Stomski. No better proof of this leadership occurred during their game against Northwestern Jan. 13. After sloppy play in the first half, the team bounced back with Black hitting three consecutive three pointers in the final five minutes. Moore also added 12 of her 24 points in that span to rally the Badgers past the Wildcats 70-65. Stomski experienced foul trouble in the game, forcing her to limited time, and snapped her streak of 23 straight games with double-digit points.
Throughout the season though, it has been all three who have accounted for the team's points, rebounds and steals, making them one of the most proficient offensive and defensive teams in the country.
""This team does a really good job at getting the ball to the person that needs it. Whoever [it is] is having the hot hand of the day,"" Black said. ""It might not be one of our star players. It might be someone who comes off the bench.""
Jessie Stomski, an all-Big Ten selection last season, is leading the team in scoring and rebounds with a 19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
Tamara Moore, last year's Big Ten defensive player of the year, is again leading the team in steals (3.38 per game) and assists (6.38 per game), both ranking second in the conference. She is also second on the team in points.
Black is third on the team in points and is also the leading three point shooter with a .418 average, fourth in the Big Ten.
""There's really no way you can describe their impact on our program,"" Albright said. ""They've been very positive leaders. Really, when the going gets tough, those are the three that settle everybody down.""
During winter break, the women's team embarked on their Big Ten season with one of the biggest wins of the season, beating last year's Big Ten Champion, Purdue, 71-59. Wisconsin had not beaten the Boilermakers since Feb 15, 1998. Again, the big three led the way with 49 of the team's 71 points. After hurdling that barrier, the Badgers rolled over the competition.
""I think it gave us some confidence to beat a team that is ranked above us in the Big Ten,"" Albright said. ""It was the way we won it, pretty convincingly. So that got us off to a great start in the Big Ten.""
The team also piled up some big wins against Big Ten opponents, including a come-from-behind victory on the road against Iowa.
""We've had a very hard beginning schedule to our Big Ten season. Now that we're ranked fifth in they country, everybody is going to have their best game against us,"" Black said. ""To get our road game off to a great start, we beat Iowa. I hadn't won at Iowa since this last time. It was a really good feeling to win our first couple games on the road and that was the start of it.""
The ""Cram the Kohl"" campaign is also a 30th anniversary celebration of the Title IX legislation passing, a legislation that requires gender equality in sports.
With the sold-out Kohl Center on Sunday, the Badgers will have a capacity crowd of 17,142 behind them against Minnesota.
Head Coach Jane Albright pledged to donate 25 cents for ever person to the Madison chapter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities if the game was a sellout. This figure will be matched by president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Ken Barun for a total of $8,571.
