After a strong start to the season, the Wisconsin women's basketball team has been inconsistent lately in Big Ten conference play.
The Lady Badgers put up a dominating performance against Illinois during their last home game on Jan. 18 only turning the ball over a total of five times in the first half. They held Illinois to 43 points and put up 61 of their own, with three players putting up double figures.
However, the following road games were not so kind to the Badgers. While the intensity from the Illinois game carried over into the Penn State and Michigan State games, the stats and the W"" did not. Wisconsin lost both games, turning the ball over 21 and 22 times, respectively.
""We're weathering a little bit of a storm right now. We need to value the basketball a little bit better,"" Wisconsin head coach Lisa Stone said. ""The process is, with eight games remaining, to keep getting better every day, and play your best basketball at the end of the year.""
The Lady Badgers have two games on their radar. First, they will host Purdue (13-7) on Thursday evening, and then travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to battle the Wolverines (9-10) Sunday.
Considering Purdue, Stone said, ""They're pretty special. They're very well coached [and] they've got tremendous depth.""
Stone emphasized that ""[taking] good care of the ball"" is essential for the Badgers to secure the victory.
Home court advantage should also help the Badgers. This season, Wisconsin has gone 9-2 at the Kohl Center. One of those losses came against Big Ten leader Ohio State.
Despite the team's recent inconsistency, Stone doesn't seem worried.
""I'm very optimistic about our kids,"" Stone said. ""They work hard. They want to get better.""
One player who has certainly done so in Stone's mind is junior forward Mariah Dunham.
""[Dunham's] versatility helps us a lot,"" Stone said of her emergence as a scorer. ""Mariah is breaking out and playing good basketball at the right time.""
Whatever the outcome of Thursday night's game against Purdue, the Lady Badgers will have to keep that game fresh in their minds. Following the road game at Michigan State, the Badgers travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to face off against Purdue again, their second meeting in 11 days.
With only eight games remaining in conference play, time is running short for the Badgers to capture a top seed in the Big Ten Tournament at the beginning of March. However, Stone is confident in her team.
""We're right there in every single game. Our defense is putting us in the [right] situation. The kids are playing hard; attitude is very, very good. We just need to shore up a few details.""
- uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
