With the return of sophomore guard Janese Banks on the home court, the UW women's basketball team went into last night's Big Ten matchup with an increased sense of optimism and intensity. That was not enough to land the Badgers their second home-conference win against Indiana. The Badgers (2-8 Big Ten, 8-14 overall) fell to the Hoosiers (6-4, 12-9) 71-64.
The crowd was grateful to see Banks make an immediate impact when she forced a turnover just minutes into the first half and converted the play into two points, but aside from a solid 13-point performance in the first half by sophomore guard Jolene Anderson, the first half merely produced average statistics from the players on both benches.
UW came out with conviction in the second half. They instituted a full-court press that forced a few turnovers and bolstered the offense's morale, leading the Badgers to a 10-point lead with just over 16 minutes left in the game.
But when the Hoosiers bounced back and got into a rhythm, the Badgers just could not come up with an answer. The offense missed shot after shot as Indiana not only made up the double-digit deficit, but established a commanding 61-50 lead of its own with just over four minutes to play.
However, the Badgers did not give up. Sparked once again by a productive full-court press, Wisconsin once again forced turnovers and rallied back. With just over a minute remaining, Banks made a steal at mid-court, drove to the basket and threw up a backwards over-the-shoulder shot as she was fouled. Her ensuing trip to the free-throw line resulted in two points that pulled the Badgers to within three, 63-60.
Despite the valiant effort, the Badgers failed to produce enough to pull off the win. They made mental mistakes and turnovers that handed the Hoosiers the game.
After the game, head coach Lisa Stone noted the lack of a third scorer other than Banks and Anderson.
'We need more than two scorers, and it can come from anywhere else,' Stone said. 'They had two players scoring, and we had two players scoring. I was hoping we could get one more to throw them off kilter.'
Despite another heartbreaking loss, Stone made no excuses for the team's performance.
'It's very interesting how people will try to say, 'What's wrong with the team''? Stone said. 'There's no problem. We just have to get it done. It's time to play basketball and get out there and get the job done.'
