Following two straight conference victories, the Wisconsin women's basketball team will square off against Northwestern Sunday in Evanston, Ill.
The Badgers (6-3 Big Ten, 11-9 overall) appear full of confidence following wins on the road at rival Minnesota and at home against Illinois last week, while the Wildcats (3-4, 14-6) enter the contest on a three-game skid.
Wisconsin remains charged from the team's dramatic comeback against Minnesota Jan. 20 when the team pulled out an eight-point victory despite a 16-point first-half deficit. In that contest, the Badgers surrendered 44 first-half points to the Gophers before turning the game around at halftime and putting up 41 of their own while holding Minnesota to just 19 in the second half.
Players said their second half fury was propelled in part by a halftime speech courtesy of head coach Lisa Stone.
""Coach Stone is very much motivational,"" senior forward Tara Steinbauer said. ""But in certain circumstances, especially when it's well deserved, she can really give us a piece of her mind, and I think that's exactly what we needed at that point.""
Steinbauer believes that extra motivation and the team's stunning turnaround in Minneapolis could be a turning point for the rest of the season.
But both players and Stone admit the team has had troubles at times this season putting together full games, often beginning contests sluggish.
""I think we do have a difficult time always putting together a complete game,"" senior point guard Alyssa Karel said.
""We can't look like one team in the first half and a completely other team in the second half,"" Steinbauer added.
Last Sunday against Illinois, the Badgers again spent much of the first half locked in a back-and-forth battle with Illinois before pulling away for a 60-47 victory in the second half.
Steinbauer knows the importance of not only starting strong against Northwestern this Sunday, but remaining focused for the entire game.
""We could very well go up on them [by] ten points, but they're not going to go away,"" Steinbauer said. ""So I think that we need to match that resilience or supersede it.""
The Wildcats are led by senior Amy Jaeschke who leads the team with 22.9 points per game, second most in the Big Ten. The 6'5"" Jaeschke also leads her team in rebounds with 9.4 per game and has 77 blocks on the season.
As a team, the Wildcats average the fourth most points in the Big Ten, with 70 per game.
""They've got a very strong RPI and a very strong strength of schedule,"" Stone said. ""A victory at Northwestern does a lot for our program.""
Last season, the Badgers faced Northwestern just once, suffering a 68-62 defeat in Madison. The game featured a barrage of huge streaks by each team, including a 24-10 Badger run to begin the game and a 17-2 Wildcat streak in the second half.
