By John Leppanen
the daily cardinal
Coming off consecutive losses to Indiana and Penn State, the Wisconsin women's basketball team now finds itself in the middle of a tightly packed Big Ten.
On Monday, head coach Lisa Stone said her team would rely on better shot selection and improved ball movement in Thursday's re-match against Indiana at the Kohl Center. The Hoosiers held Wisconsin to 30 percent shooting en route to an 83-56 victory last Thursday, a day after Indiana's men's team dealt the Badgers just their second loss of the season.
Stone said controlling 6'7' Sarah McKay, who poured in 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Indiana in the first game, is crucial for Wisconsin this week. In particular, Stone called on Junior forward Danielle Ward to provide interior defense against McKay.
Ward started Sunday's game against Penn State, with both teams dressed in pink to honor Breast Cancer Awareness, but quickly got into foul trouble. Wisconsin ended up losing by nine, despite battling back from an early 15-point deficit.
""We need her on the floor, not in foul trouble,"" Stone said of the 6'4"" Milwaukee native.
The Badgers are one of three teams with a 5-6 record in the Big 10, joining Minnesota, Penn State, Illinois and several other teams in the middle of the conference standings. Ohio State and Purdue are both nationally ranked, with the Buckeyes in the top five of both national polls. However, the rest of the conference is still wide open, and a late surge from the Badgers could guarantee a high seed in the Big Ten tournament.
However, Stone said she is focused solely on Indiana, preaching a ""1-0"" philosophy to her young team. Wisconsin currently has seven freshmen on its roster, and Stone said most are expected to contribute without making rookie mistakes.
""You continue to teach every single day,"" she said.
Containing McKay and Indiana's talented guards will likely be a challenge for the Badgers, who were also touched for 22 points by junior Nikki Smith last Thursday. Stone said avoiding a bad start and slowing Indiana's transition game would be key.
""It starts with us,"" she said, arguing that that sharp-shooting Jolene Anderson could easily stifle the Hoosiers' high-powered offense.
After playing Indiana, the Badgers will host 11-12 Iowa Sunday for the only meeting between the two teams this year.
