The Lady Badgers are facing a tough upcoming week. Like all the other students around campus, they are busy studying for those pesky finals that are coming up in a few days, shopping for holiday gifts and then preparing to face a pair of tough in-state rivals.
The Badgers (3-3 overall), coming off a tough win against the Iowa State Cyclones for their first home victory of the season, will face the tough-shooting UW-Green Bay Phoenix (5-1). UWGB is similar to the Cyclones in offensive strategy; both teams are very effective at shooting three-pointers. Last year the Phoenix made their way into Wisconsin record books by setting a record for three-pointers at the Kohl Center.
\To play Iowa State and follow that up with Green Bay is great for our team,"" said Head Coach Lisa Stone. ""I'm hoping that they don't set any more records, I'm hoping that our defense learned something from the Iowa State game.""
Phoenix senior guard Natalie Yudt leads the team in three pointers with 13 and is second on the team averaging 13.8 points per game. However, she will not be the only Phoenix the Badgers will need to pay attention to from beyond the arch. The Phoenix have a starting lineup capable of hitting the three if Yudt is covered. Their three-point accuracy will give the girls in cardinal and white a hard time.
UWGB is having a great start to its season with five straight wins before losing its first game against Maine last Sunday. After a game Thursday, the Phoenix will be excited to play against the in-state rival Wisconsin Badgers. It is a high-intensity game fueled because many players' are familiar with each other.
""I'm not from Wisconsin so I don't have the same tension, but it's definitely contagious,"" said senior center Emily Ashbaugh. ""A lot of players know each other and that creates a lot of tension back and forth.""
Ashbaugh will be leading the Badgers against the Phoenix as their team captain, but also in the stat book. She is among the team leaders in points and rebounds.
She will be accompanied by fellow captain senior center Lello Gebisa, last year's team leader in points. This year she got off to a slow start before turning in a great game against Iowa State which may have helped her rebound to her old form.
""I want to contribute but I don't know why I was playing so poorly,"" Gebisa said. ""Hopefully I'll be someone that the team can count on and be a specific contributor on offense and be a big presence on offense and defense."" She is already showing her defensive power with a team-leading seven blocks.
After the tough game against the Phoenix, the girls come back home Dec. 22 to face another tough in-state rival, the UW-Milwaukee Panthers (5-4), who are coming off a three-game winning streak.
