As the Badgers head toward the heart of the Big Ten conference schedule with a game against Michigan, (2-4 Big Ten, 11-6 overall), they know they have something to prove. The Badgers have to prove that they can play smart and hard for the full length of the game.
\We need to focus on finishing out. We played a lot of good games this season but we haven't finished with a win because of three minutes where we weren't playing where we needed to be,"" said junior center/forward Emily Ashbaugh.
Sophomore forward Ebba Gebisa agrees with her teammate.
""The previous games have shown us what level that we can play at and that it's a 40 minute game and that we've got to take care of it down the stretch,"" Gebisa said.
The women know they can play hard down the stretch because they have done it before against Arizona and Indiana.
""We played better, executed our offense better and made fewer mistakes defensively and offensively. We got to the free-throw line and made some big ones down the stretch so that needs to be a weapon that we can include in our strategy,"" Head Coach Jane Albright said.
The games against Arizona and Indiana have served as a momentum builder for the Badgers.
""Four games in a stretch of eight days helped us learn a lot about ourselves as a team. We made some strides toward becoming the team that we know we can be,"" Gebisa said.
Albright agrees but also believes time is a factor as well.
""We know it's almost February and we're not as young as we were in November; we're playing more minutes together,"" Albright said.
Even though the women have been victorious, they still believe there are some things they have to work on as they prepare for Michigan on Sunday.
""We really need to focus on cutting down our turnovers and taking care of the ball.""
As for the game plan Albright has the answer. ""We have to attack the zone and make good decisions and not hurry our offense. We will be prepared mentally,"" Albright said.
