Badgers Rally to Down Drake For Eighth Straight Win
December 13, 2001 | Women's Basketball
The 15th-ranked Badgers rallied from an eleven-point half-time deficit to down the visiting Bulldogs of Drake University. Wisconsin used a smothering defense in the second half to beat the upstart Bulldogs and notch their eighth consecutive win. The Badgers improve to 9-1 on the season, while Drake drops to 4-3.
Wisconsin limited Drake to only 16 points on six field goals and a mere 18% shooting from the floor (6-33) in the second half to wipe out the Bulldogs ' lead and claim the victory. Forward Jessie Stomski led the Badgers' second-half comeback with 14 of her game-high 20 points in the period.
On the defensive end, Tamara Moore, with four steals, and Emily Ashbaugh with a career-high five blocked shots helped to contain the scrappy Bulldogs.
The first half, however, was all Drake. The Bulldogs made 54% of their field goals in the opening frame and used a tight zone defense to bottle up the Badgers. Wisconsin could never get an offensive rhythm going in the first half, but used their superior size to stay close for much of the period.
Wisconsin held a slim 31-30 lead with four and a half minutes left on the clock, but suddenly went cold from the field missing six of its last seven shots. Drake took advantage of the UW scoring drought and rattled off eleven straight points to push its lead to 41-31 with just over a minute left to play. Forward Erin Richards led the Drake run with five points, including a three-point basket, as the Bulldogs went into the locker room with a 45-34 lead.
The Badgers rose to the challenge, however, and stormed out of the locker room with a renewed defensive intensity. UW mixed a variety of pressure and trapping defenses in the second half to frustrate the upset-minded Bulldogs. On the offensive end, Wisconsin pounded the ball inside, drawing fouls and converting lay-ups to claw its way back in the game.
'We shot 18% in the second half, and that just won 't do it,' said Drake Head Coach Lisa Stone. 'We rushed our shots in the second half ' that is a credit to the Wisconsin defense. They really turned it up in the second half.'
UW started the final frame with a 15-6 run, capped by two Stomski free throws, to tie the game at 51-51 after six minutes of action. Just over a minute later, Drake held its final lead of the game, 55-51, but again the Badgers stepped up their defensive pressure. Drake missed its next eight shots, and Wisconsin forced five turnovers over the next eight minutes to power a decisive 12-1 run. Kyle Black nailed a three-point basket to extend UW's lead to 63-56 at the 4:37 mark of the second half and to put the game out of reach. Drake never got any closer the rest of the way, as the Badgers made seven of eight free throws down the stretch.
Moore, who hit six straight free throws in the game's final minute, finished with 16 points. The Badger point guard just missed a triple-double with 11 assists and eight rebounds to go along with her four steals. Ashbaugh scored a career-high 13 points and collected five rebounds, while Black chipped in with 13 points. Guard Kristi Seeger grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and helped to bottle up the Drake guards throughout the second half.
'I think we've done a good job of finding a lot of different weapons,' analyzed Wisconsin Head Coach Jane Albright. 'We 've got some different things that can happen on any given day.'
Guard Jamie Anderson led four Bulldogs in double figures with 14 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Stephanie Schmitz, Drake's fiery floor leader, chipped in with 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds and six assists. Richards also finished the game with 13 points, and center Carla Bennett added ten points.
After a tough week with three games in six days, the Badgers will get some well-needed rest over the winter break. UW opens the Big Ten season on Friday, December 28 at 7:00 PM against 7th-ranked Purdue.
