Wisconsin will again look to snap a five-game losing streak and even the score over an early season overtime loss against Penn State on Thursday at the Kohl Center.
With the recent dismissal of junior forward Mariah Dunham and general struggle to push through the second half, the Badgers (4-9 Big Ten, 14-10 overall) have stumbled through the latter half of the season and have come up short in losses to Purdue, Penn State and Indiana.
Even though the Badgers have had much frustration in coming up short by sometimes just a basket, head coach Lisa Stone is confident with the return to Madison.
To get back home is going to be welcomed, looking forward to that. Rae Lin just walked up the step right on the bus, she goes, 'get a win, we're going to feel a whole lot better, Coach Stone,'"" Stone said.
The last time Wisconsin faced the Nittany Lions (9-13, 4-8), they lost 58-56 on a last-second shot by junior guard Tyra Grant, who will be the toughest offensive player for the Badgers to stop. Grant had a game-high 32 points that day, while sophomore guard Alyssa Karel scored 15 for the Badgers.
This time around and for the remainder of the season, Stone said she is looking for her offense to push for more production.
""Look back early in the season, those are some things that we were very, very solid at and we lapsed in those areas recently, and it's time to get back on track,"" Stone said. ""We'll be tested in the full court at a very high pace with Penn State. They're very up-tempo and this will be a great measuring stick to find out where we're at and if we can get back to those same concepts.""
Currently, Karel leads Wisconsin with an average of 13 points per game, while freshman forward Anya Covington is starting to see her numbers increase in the post position.
""[Covington] gets better every day. She's a leader on our team, both in the locker room and on the court,"" Stone said. ""She was our leading rebounder with 10 [against Purdue]. [We need to] put her in positions offensively to be successful, whether it's on the block or ... in the mid-range area. And then defensively, again, continue to teach and keep her vision and not let the ball come in from on top and some of our simple principles. She gets better every day and I look for her to finish the season off very strong.""
Against Purdue last week, the Boilermakers outscored Wisconsin 20-5 in the first 9:30 of the half. This was followed by 16 turnovers and a 10-0 run in the second half to put Purdue up by 21.
This week and next week will be crucial for the Badgers as they look ahead to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
""[We have to] just get over the hump. And getting over the hump all the sudden gives you that energy back and that's what we're looking for from our team,""
Stone said. ""Both Indiana and Penn State came down to one last stop, one last rebound '¦ [We need to] lay it out there on the line, and get the two back that we didn't get on the road.""
Tip-off for Thursday's match up against Penn State is set for 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center.
