The Wisconsin women's basketball team (6-5 Big Ten, 16-5 overall) is recovering from a tough loss at home to the Northwestern Wildcats last Sunday night. After leading by as many as 14 points in the first half, the Badgers ultimately fell by six. The loss was their second consecutive defeat at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers, who hold a share of third place in the Big Ten along with Purdue, will need a short memory. Tonight the team heads into Minnesota to take on the 4-6 (11-10) Golden Gophers.
This will be the only matchup of the year between Minnesota and Wisconsin, and it comes at a pivotal point for both teams. The Badgers, having dropped the last 2-of-3 contests, meet a Gopher team currently riding a four-game losing streak.
Head coach Lisa Stone said she knows there is a lot riding on this game for both teams.
""It's a team we're familiar with. There's a lot at stake, it's a border battle,"" Stone said. ""Williams Arena is a tough place to play.""
Leading the team for Minnesota this season has been sophomore guard Kiara Buford. She is averaging 13.8 points per game and nearly five rebounds per contest. Buford has also been a threat from behind the arc this season, hitting 37 percent of her 3-point attempts.
Another force the Badgers will have to reckon with Thursday night is senior forward Ashley Ellis-Milan, who is averaging over 10 points and five rebounds per game.
Wisconsin counters with a balanced scoring attack. The past two games for the Badgers featured three players in double-figure scoring. Most notably, junior forward Lin Zastrow has caught fire following a recently rough offensive patch. Zastrow scored 19 and 13 points in the last two games, respectively.
Playing away from home was an Achilles' heel for the Badgers last year. But the team has now won their last two road games, a streak it looks to extend tonight. Additionally, with a win against the Gophers, Wisconsin has the opportunity to exceed last season's entire Big Ten win total.
Wisconsin finds itself in the middle of one of the most chaotic Big Ten seasons in recent memory. This past weekend, the top four teams in the conference all fell to opponents with sub-.500 conference records, including then-No. 4 Ohio State.
""You need to take care of business one at a time,"" Stone said. ""The chips will fall where they may at the end if teams have the ability to overcome adversity.""
Now, heading down the stretch of their conference schedule, the Badgers need to prove they have that ability to overcome adversity.
""We have got to be resilient,"" Stone said. ""[We need] to play with resiliency and also with some urgency. That means that we have to understand the value of each game, and things will shake out at the end.""
