Using size, stellar defense and, of course, sophomore guard Jolene Anderson, the women's basketball team (1-6 Big Ten, 7-12 overall) ended its five-game losing streak in decisive fashion Monday, defeating Eastern Illinois (8-11) 75-48.
Even as shorthanded as UW is with only eight healthy players, the Badgers can take some momentum into Thursday's matchup against Big Ten-powerhouse Ohio State.
'Tonight's game was just what the doctor ordered for us,' head coach Lisa Stone said. 'Our basketball team needs to be filled with confidence, and we found some.'
Although the Panthers shot a better field-goal percentage than Wisconsin, the inside presence of sophomore Danielle Ward and freshman Caitlin Gibson proved too much for Eastern Illinois to handle. Ward and Gibson combined for 29 points, 18 rebounds, five steals and three blocks to complement Anderson's 23-point performance. Adding some hustle were seniors Jordan Wilson and Kjersten Bakke, who had nine and eight rebounds respectively, with seven of those coming on the offensive end.
'[There were] some great performances tonight,' Stone said. 'Bakke and Wilson, Caitlin's near double-double, Jolene's numbers. It's taken a while to get back to the winning side of things, but this is a great feeling tonight.'
While the Badgers held a 13-point lead at halftime, the Panthers chipped the lead down to nine on some great outside shooting. However, a timely Christine Spencer three pointer and a fast-break layup made any hopes of an Eastern Illinois comeback disintegrate.
Free-throw shooting and offensive rebounding killed the Panthers, as they allowed Wisconsin 20 second-chance points and 27 visits to the free-throw line.
'The game goals were to hold them below 50, force 20-plus turnovers and to out-rebound them by 10, so we accomplished our game goals,' Stone said. 'If we get to the free-throw line 27 times like we did today, [we will] find success.'
