It was a changing of the guard for Wisconsin women's basketball Wednesday night.
As seniors Stephanie Rich and Ebba Gebisa played their last games in front of the Kohl Center faithful, freshman guard sensation Jolene Anderson continued barnstorming toward Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
But the Badgers' (5-10 Big Ten, 11-14 overall) Wednesday night victory over Northwestern (2-13 Big Ten, 5-23 overall) was a night that belonged to the seniors.
The Badgers ended their current three-game skid with a 70-63 victory over the Wildcats. Anderson scored a game-high 28 points and Rich chipped in 17 points to go along with a team-high six assists.
\I tried not to make a big deal and be too sentimental and emotional before the game started,"" Wisconsin head coach Lisa Stone said. ""We didn't need anyone crying before the game started. We needed a win and Steph and Ebba did a good job for us that way.""
Rich-especially in the first half-played like a true floor general for Wisconsin. She repeatedly found her open teammates on the break as the Badgers ran up a 14 point lead by half-time. But Rich also was instrumental in Wisconsin's fast start, scoring 11 of her 17 points in the first half.
""We diagrammed a couple new plays to get [Steph] some open looks early,"" Stone added.
Gebisa was her usual self, cleaning up the glass and going after loose balls. She finished with four points, but added six rebounds-four of which came on the offensive end.
""Ebba was on the boards and on the floor a lot, scrapping, and I think that work ethic pays off,"" Stone said.
If anything the victory was part vindication, part relief for a Badger team that suffered three straight drubbings by superior Big Ten competition. Ending the home season with a win was therapeutic, Rich said.
""When you're getting beat by an average of 25 points, you just want to get a win,"" she said. ""It doesn't really matter how you do it.""
The Badgers wore their hearts on their jerseys in the first half, pressuring the Wildcats from the opening tip on both ends of the court. Things got a little dicey in the second half, as Northwestern made a late run, thanks to an effective press of their own. But Rich and the Badgers calmed down, helped by a big 3-pointer from Anderson with under two minutes left in the game.
""I think, definitely, being senior night maybe added extra incentive,"" Gebisa said. ""But also, just getting toward the end of the season ... we [need] to pick up some more [wins] before we head into the Big Ten Tournament, so we can pick up momentum before we go down to Indianapolis.""
The Badgers got a special visit from senior medical redshirt Shawna Nichols, who has not played for the Badgers this season. Nichols was honored before the game and sat with the team on the bench one last time.
""We had Shawna come join us on the bench tonight and that was really special, just to have her part of the team,"" Rich said. ""It felt like ... she was never gone. She just brings such life into our locker room.""
Wisconsin heads to Purdue to finish conference play on Sunday. With the Big Ten Tournament around the corner, the Badgers are looking to pick up some momentum heading into the postseason. But for now, the Badgers are enjoying the victory.
""My main focus going into the game was to get Steph, Ebb, and Shawna a victory on the last game on the Kohl Center floor,"" Anderson said. ""That was my mind set going into the game, just helping the team get a win.\
