The UW-Milwaukee women's basketball team (1-4) proved that Wisconsin's pressure was too much to handle Monday evening as Wisconsin coasted past its in-state rival by a final score of 78-45, pushing the Badgers to 4-0. This marks the 10th consecutive game Wisconsin has defeated the Panthers.
The Badgers got off to an explosive start, going on a 24-0 run right from tip-off. Milwaukee started out in a triangle-in-two defense to lock down junior offensive threats Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks, allowing other Badger players to step up and put points on the scoreboard.
""It excites me to know that we have so many other options along with a great player like Jolene,"" UW head coach Lisa Stone said. ""When you can be that aggressive and stay that intense and stay that focused in a game at some point when the game is that lopsided ... We saw our depth today.""
Junior forward Danielle Ward got into foul trouble early, but freshman point guard Rae Lin D'Alie took control of the ball and found gaps in the Panther defense to attack. D'Alie landed several assists early in the game and also had a jumper and a 3-pointer to force Milwaukee head coach Sandy Botham to make defensive changes.
""If we start off strong, the people on the bench will come in and contribute as well,"" Anderson said. ""It starts with us five, and the whole team contributed. We were prepared well for it. We just executed.""
High pressure and scrappy defense worked to the advantage of Wisconsin by forcing numerous Panther turnovers, cutting off passing lanes and causing poor shot opportunities. UW-Milwaukee finally got its first points approximately 10 minutes into the first half. The score at halftime was 43-16.
""We started off great, we were intense, and our defensive pressure was just awesome,"" D'Alie said.
Early in the second half, the Panthers switched to a two-three zone only to discover Wisconsin's outside game is just as impressive as its inside game. D'Alie knocked down a 3-pointer, followed by consecutive possessions with quick ball reversals that confused the Panther defense and opened up holes under the Badger basket, causing another defensive adjustment.
The Badger offense did not slow down and a variety of players found opportunities to score.
Anderson led all scorers with 17 points and had four assists. Also scoring in double digits were Banks with 13 points and sophomore Caitlin Gibson with 12.
D'Alie also added a career-high 12 points, shooting 5-of-5 from the field.
""Wisconsin outplayed us. They put a lot of pressure on us in the full court and in the half court and we just didn't execute,"" Botham said.
Wisconsin improved their offensive ball control by limiting themselves to nine turnovers and executed well defensively by forcing UWM into 24 turnovers. The Badgers also shot an impressive 47 percent from the field and forced the Panthers to shoot just under 34 percent.
""This was a game that you must be prepared for the emotions of it. I think our team handled things very well,"" Stone said. ""We are sharing the ball, we are playing hard, and we are taking care of the basketball ... It was a great team win and tremendous great defense.""
