Christmas break is a time for students to sit back, relax and in some cases maybe even reflect on the semester. And for the Wisconsin women's basketball team, the holiday break will have a similar ring to ... that is, until the Big Ten season kicks off Dec. 30 against conference power Purdue.
The Badgers finish up non-conference play Dec. 16 against UC-Santa Clara before an onslaught of Big Ten competition that will be a true test for this Badger team under second-year Head Coach Lisa Stone.
The two-week break for Wisconsin will indeed be the calm before the storm, as the Badgers play six Big Ten contests in an 18-day period. Three of those conference matchups are against teams in the Top 25-No. 14 Purdue, No. 15 Michigan State and No. 16 Minnesota.
Wisconsin dropped its first three Big Ten contests last season and was never able to rebound, finishing with a 4-12 record. The Badgers also did not pick up a road victory until their final conference road game of the season at Illinois in late February. The Badgers know that if this season is going to finish any better than the 2003-'04 campaign, they are going to have to win early and win on the road.
Badgers down Panthers
Wisconsin improved to 3-4 Wednesday night with a 75-66 victory over UW-Milwaukee. It was the most balanced outing of the season by the Badgers so far, as all five starters scored in double figures.
Freshman guard Jolene Anderson got in early foul trouble, but responded with 12 of her 16 points in the second half. The freshman led Wisconsin in scoring for the fifth time this season.
Junior forward Annie Nelson turned in her second-straight double figure performance with 12 points, just one shy of her career best, on 6-of-8 shooting. The Hudson, Wis., native added eight rebounds and had three blocks in her first home start this season.
UW-Milwaukee managed to keep the game close for the entire first half, as the Badgers entered the intermission with a 38-36 advantage. The second half was a different story as Wisconsin used a 20-3 run early to distance itself from the Panthers.
The Badgers continued their winning ways with their victory over their in-state rival, improving to 3-0 at the Kohl Center. UW shot a season best from the floor (55.2 percent), from behind the arc (42.9 percent) and from the charity stripe (88.9 percent).
