The streak is over.
After six straight losses, the Wisconsin women's basketball team finally ended its mid winter blues by beating Northwestern (0-12 in the Big Ten, 4-19 overall) 80-47 before a jumping Kohl Center crowd on Senior Night.
\Obviously, it was a very fun night for us,"" Wisconsin Head Coach Jane Albright said. ""Senior Nights can be really challenging.""
The win brings the Badgers' record to 8-6 in the Big Ten and 17-7 overall.
Senior forward Jessie Stomski led the Badgers with a team-high 24 points and seven assists in what may be her final game in the Kohl Center.
""Yeah, we're on a one-game winning streak,"" Stomski said.
The game started off fairly evenly, with Northwestern building a small lead in the first few minutes.
""I thought we were a little emotional and a little tentative in the first three or four minutes,"" Albright said.
But the momentum quickly changed as Wisconsin went on a run in the middle of the first half.
The charge was led by Stomski, who scored 16 points by halftime, and sophomore center Emily Ashbaugh, who went into the locker room with eight points and three rebounds.
""Jessie obviously got the hot hand in the first half,"" Albright said.
Meanwhile, Northwestern's offense was having trouble getting started again after its fast beginning, it failed to capitalize on turnovers or grab defensive rebounds effectively.
In the second half, Northwestern heated up a bit as freshman center Sarah Kwasinski scored 11 points, but UW responded with some heat of its own. The defense continued to effectively pressure Northwestern as senior guard Tamara Moore, quiet before halftime, picked up 14 points and three steals in the second half.
Albright also gave the seniors plenty of playing time in the second half for their home court finale.
""I thought our defense was exceptional,"" Albright said.
The most noticeable statistic was points off of turnovers as Wisconsin scored 34 points off 21 Wildcat turnovers, while Northwestern could only muster nine points off of 19 UW miscues.
Northwestern Head Coach June Olkowski said that they were beaten by a talented team.
""We missed some easy shots early on,"" she said. ""We don't have a lot of confidence, so when we miss them, we miss them bad.\
