Junior guards Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks combined for 49 points to lead the Wisconsin women's basketball team (23-12) past Western Kentucky Wednesday evening at the Kohl Center, 79-72. The Badgers now advance to the Women's National Invitational Tournament championship game, which will be played out on Wyoming's home court Saturday afternoon.
It was a closely-fought battle between the two teams throughout the entire contest. Western Kentucky had an early lead over Wisconsin in the first half, but Banks carried her team by finding ways to attack the basket. Her crafty moves on offense resulted in 14 first-half points and three assists. Freshman Mariah Dunham and Anderson also provided a spark for the Badgers late in the first half, allowing Wisconsin to fight from behind and go into the locker room with a 32-29 lead.
Wisconsin surged early, going ahead by seven points two minutes into the second half. This would be the largest lead the Badgers would create for the rest of the game as the Lady Toppers continuously ate away at the Wisconsin lead.
Anderson took control on offense, scoring 18 of her 26 total points in the second half. She knocked down four 3-pointers and continued to attack the hoop. However, the dominant post presence of junior forward Crystal Kelly kept Western Kentucky close behind.
""That's a very good basketball team, and Crystal Kelly is one of the best post players we've faced in this entire year,"" Wisconsin head coach Lisa Stone said. ""She's very crafty on the blocks, she can step away and she's going to be a great pro player some day.""
With 3:50 left in the game, Anderson pulled up for a 3-pointer and nailed it, putting a dagger through the Lady Toppers' hearts. This put the Badgers up 71-66 after Western Kentucky came close to yet another lead change in its favor.
Western Kentucky continued to fight back, bringing itself to within three points with just under a minute left in the contest. Wisconsin, however, was strong with the ball down the stretch and knocked down several free throws to hold the advantage and eventually solidify the victory.
""These games have been nail-biters and what a great lesson our players are learning,"" Stone said. ""Once again, a tremendous effort by our basketball team ... the endurance, the perseverance, the confidence, and the free-throw shooting down the stretch.""
As a team, Wisconsin set a school record by going 20-of-20 from the charity line on the game. The Badgers also shot an impressive 46.6 percent from the field, just 3.5 percent higher than Western Kentucky.
Besides Anderson's 26 point contribution, Banks finished with 23 points and freshman forward Mariah Dunham netted 10 points, respectably. Junior forward Danielle Ward also finished in double-figures with 12 points and was just one rebound off of a double-double.
""The thing about [Anderson] that I think is so impressive is that she can score in a variety of ways. We were not ignoring what Janese Banks can provide for [Wisconsin] by any means. Her athleticism is just phenomenal, and her energy and her drive is very, very high,"" said Western Kentucky head coach Mary Taylor Cowles. ""We had goals on Anderson and Banks that we were going to try to limit them to, obviously we did not reach those goals.""
Western Kentucky (23-9) was led in scoring by Kelly with 28 points. Sophomore guard Brianne Brown and sophomore foward Dominique Duck finished with 10 points and 15 points. Brown also fouled out of the game with 6:51 left in the game.
On another record-breaking note, if Anderson is able to score nine points in Saturday's contest, she will break the record of most points scored in the WNIT by any player, with the current record standing at 116 points held by Jenny Lingor of Southwest Missouri State set in 2005.
""We've all got that attitude that we just don't want to stop playing,"" Banks said. ""As a team, we have come a long way.""
