Less than 12 months ago against the Purdue Boilermakers, senior Jacki Gulczynski made what would have been a game-winner, sending the Wisconsin Badgers into the second round of the Big Ten tournament. But the clock expired just before Gulczynski’s shot left her hands, and the Badgers fell to the Boilermakers, 58-56.
The Boilermakers have barely looked back, whereas the Badgers haven’t recovered since.
And Monday night, when Wisconsin (2-9 Big Ten, 6-15 overall) plays Purdue (7-4, 16-6) for the first time since last March, the Badgers hope to upend the Boilermakers and snap their latest seven-game tailspin.
After limiting their turnovers for most of the nonconference season, turnover woes have proved to be detrimental for the Badgers of late.
Wisconsin has turned the ball over 14 or more times in the last four games, including a Big Ten-season high 17 turnovers at Ohio State last Thursday in their 26-point loss.
The Badgers struggled breaking the Buckeye press and looked passive at many points, succumbing to Ohio State’s aggressive guard play.
Senior guards Nicole Bauman and Dakota Whyte tried to keep the Badgers in the game, scoring 19 and 10 points, respectively, but the entire starting lineup struggled collectively, turning the ball over 14 total times.
Purdue presents yet another problem for UW, as it averages nine steals per game. Last week, in a 20-point loss to the fifth-ranked Maryland Terrapins, the Boilermakers were able to turn the sure-handed Terps over 16 times. Senior guard April Wilson is particularly pesky, as she leads the Boilermakers with more than two steals per games and as a result will likely spend most of the game matched up against Whyte, the Badgers’ primary ball handler.
Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey recognizes the difficult matchup Purdue presents.
"It's not too late," Kelsey said after the Badgers’ loss to Ohio State. "We have a tough Purdue team coming up next. They play hard, they get after you.”
But if there is one common positive theme that has emerged in UW’s recent losing streak, it’s that there is no quit coming from the Badger sideline.
Both Minnesota head coach Marlene Stollings and Maryland head coach Brenda Frese recognized just that after their team’s respective victories over the Badgers. And after seemingly all of the Wisconsin’s last seven losses, Kelsey has also noted her team’s valiant effort.
"[Our players were] very positive in the locker room. They're not down on themselves. Some teams would pack it in at this point but our kids are not doing that. They're going to keep fighting, Badgers keep fighting. We're going to get it. We're going to get somebody here,” Kelsey said.
The Badgers hope to get it Monday night and they hope that somebody is Purdue.
And while UW recognizes the capability of its opponents, it recognizes the key to its success starts not with its opponent's play, but with its own.
“We need to execute our offense. Make them take the ball out [of the basket]. Because if you’re missing, now they’re not taking the ball out, and everybody is chasing it, and if you got people on the baseline or if their live-ball turnovers, then you’re in trouble,” Kelsey said. “We just need to slow them down and make them play a little bit of defense, more than they want too.”
