Coming off their second biggest win of the season, the Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team (0-0 Big Ten, 7-2 overall) is ready to face off with a Green Bay Phoenix team (0-0 Horizon, 3-4 overall) who have lost their last two games.
After a two game losing streak for Wisconsin, the Badgers secured a bounce-back 67-49 win against the Marshall Thundering Herd (0-0 Conference USA, 3-5 overall) on Tuesday. The Badgers got off to a slow start, as they gave up a seven-point run to start the game, and shot a dreadful five-for-24 (20.8 percent) in the first quarter. But with about five minutes remaining in the second quarter, the team stepped up their play and pulled ahead when the game seemed like it would be close.
Junior guard Suzanne Gilreath helped the Badgers take their first lead of the game by knocking down a deep three-pointer. Following the three, the Badgers tightened up on defense as they forced a steal, leading to a fast break where redshirt senior guard Kelly Kharlis finished with a layup. This quick burst of scoring meant a lot for the team who had struggled producing points earlier in the game.
After the run, the Badgers never looked back, taking a 34-23 at the half, thanks in part to junior forward Abby Laszewski’s three blocks in the quarter. Laszewski was able to tie her career high in blocks in the game, finishing with four, and freshman forward star Imani Lewis finished with a career high 14 rebounds. The team ended the game with 31 offensive rebounds and finished with season high’s in three pointers (eight) and blocks (nine).
So far Green Bay has been led by their backcourt of redshirt senior guard Jen Wellnitz, junior guard Frankie Wurtz and senior guard Laken James. The three guards do a great job of passing the ball around until they find the best scoring opportunity. Wellnitz and James lead the team with 22 and 16 assists, respectively, with the next closest on the team at nine. They also lead the team in steals, with 29 of the teams 54 steals on the year.
The matchup to watch this game is down low. Green Bay will have to shut down the dynamic duo of freshman forward Imani Lewis and senior forward Marsha Howard. Lewis and Howard have proven they’re a force to be reckoned with, as they lead Wisconsin in average points and rebounds per game.
Green Bay’s strength is in the hands of their guards, while Wisconsin's is in the hands of their forwards, so look for it to be a close game as Wisconsin travels to play at Green Bay.
Tip off is at 1 p.m.
