The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (4-7 Big Ten, 8-15 overall) hopes to end its two-game losing streak against No. 18/21 Penn State (8-3,18-5), which stands in fourth place in the Big Ten standings.
Things did not go so well for the Badgers the last time these two teams squared off Jan. 2 in Madison. The Badgers shot quite poorly, making only 19-of-58 (32.8 percent) of their field goals. On the other hand, the Lady Lions shot 52.3 percent (34-of-65). The Badgers shot an equally worse 11.1 percent (2-of-18) from beyond the arc. This disparity in shooting percentage between the two teams resulted in an overwhelming 82-49 victory in Penn State’s favor.
“We had a strategy and just didn’t execute it,” Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey said of the teams’ previous meeting. “We’ve looked at the tape and we’re going to put in another one [for Thursday] and see what we can do.”
As teh Badgers head into Thursday’s game, another area of concern is the team’s rebounding effort that was on display in the last meeting against Penn State. The Badgers were outrebounded 45-28 and even allowed Penn State’s junior forward Mia Nickson to haul down eight offensive boards. This potential problem is magnified even more since the Badgers’ senior forward Anya Covington is still uncertain about whether or not she can play Thursday, according to Kelsey.
Covington’s absence appears to have hurt the Badgers in the last two games, which both resulted in losses. They were outrebounded in both games despite outrebounding their opponents in seven of the eight previous games. However, the absence of Covington’s 6-foot-2 inch post presence is also felt elsewhere.
The Badgers had only one free throw attempt Monday against Ohio State, which has seemed to make the Badgers rely on the 3-point shot even more. In its last two games, Wisconsin has attempted 55 3-pointers.
“Obviously on the block she gives us a lot,” sophomore guard Morgan Paige said of Covington. “It’ll be great to get her back but just everybody has to step up and contribute differently.”
The Badgers will have to play stellar defensive on the perimeter, as the top three scorers on the Penn State roster are all guards. Sophomore Maggie Lucas (19.6 points per game), junior Alex Bentley (14.5) and senior Zhaque Gray (9.9) lead the team, although, of the three, only Lucas was in double digits, with 18 points, in the last meeting.
Kelsey acknowledged the team’s defensive play would make adjustments for Thursday’s matchup.
“The ball screens on the defensive end might be tweaked a little bit but probably going into today we’ll get a better feel for it and the intensity on defense,” Kelsey said. “In the [previous matchup] we were kind of all over the place.”
After showing some signs of inconsistency over the last couple of games, Kelsey says the team simply has to get back to its competitive ways and stay consistent on both ends of the floor.
“We [do well] in one area and then have 22 turnovers, so you know we just have to be more consistent and put it all together,” she said. “We just have to keep drilling it and working on it, but a lot of it is commitment and competitiveness.”
Tip off for Thursday’s game at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. is scheduled for 6 p.m.
