Coming off an upset bid that fell just short against Michigan State in front of a national television audience, the Wisconsin women's basketball team (3-10 Big Ten, 9-16 overall) looks to rebound as they prepare for their final run through the Big Ten.
The Badgers let a 14-point lead slip through their fingers in the loss, and now find themselves 1-7 in games decided by six points or less, and 0-3 in games decided by three points or less.
If UW hopes to get back on track Thursday against Penn State, they will have to stop the sharp shooting of sophomore guard Adrienne Squire, who made seven 3-pointers Sunday in the Nittany Lion's 78-52 home victory over Illinois.
'I mean, she's prolific,' UW head coach Lisa Stone said of Squire. 'She's also a tremendous free-throw shooter. In fact, I believe the last time we played them, she was on pace, on a free- throw shooting barrage. She missed one against us. But she's a great player, great shooter. We've got to be at her feet. We've got to make her put the ball on the floor.'
UW will continue to rely on sophomore guard Jolene Anderson, whose 25-game double figure scoring streak ranks second in the Big Ten. She is also edging close to a few Badger records, currently ranking 20th with a career scoring average of 17.41 per game through 53 games, close to UW's all-time leading scorer, Barb Franke, who averaged 17.50 during her career.
'We need Jolene on the floor,' Stone said. 'Right now we've got to get Jolene shooting the ball better. What, it's three games in a row now she's fading in shots.'
Penn State enters the contest with an 11-13 overall record, including a 5-8 mark in Big Ten games and have gone 4-5 since their win over the Badgers Jan. 8.
Led by their lone returning starter, junior center Amanda Brown, who leads the team in scoring at 15.7 points per game, the Badgers will once again be tested by a formidable low-post presence.
'They're young and they're figuring some things out, and they're riding the back of a tremendous post in Amanda Brown,' Stone said. 'I think she's great in transition. She finds ways to score up and under and over and just really is the focal point of their team.'
Penn State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 21-4, including an 4-7 advantage over the Badgers in Madison.
