Wisconsin Hosts Eastern Illinois Tuesday
December 10, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Wisconsin continues to improve though the record doesn't say so. The 1-5 mark includes a one-point loss, a two-point loss, and an overtime loss. If losses teach you more than wins, than the Badgers are highly educated as they approach their last home game Tuesday before finals and the holiday break.
The Badgers have played quality competition in the non-conference season with losses to 2002 conference champions UW-Green Bay, Pepperdine and Ball State, while Washington placed second in the Pac-10. Wisconsin's strength of schedule ranks 51st of 324 division I programs. The RPI is 209.
This week the Badgers meet Eastern Illinois (1-5) Tuesday at 7 p.m., then finish the first semester of play at Drake (4-3) on Saturday Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. When play resumes, Wisconsin will open Dec. 30 with San Francisco, the first of four home games which also includes the start of the Big Ten schedule Jan. 2 with Penn State.
RADIO/TELEVISION
Tuesday's game with Eastern Illinois will be on WIBA 1310 AM at 7 p.m. with Aaron Sims and color by Sandi Scubal. The pregame begins one-half hour before tip. The game is also available over the internet at UWBADGERS.COM, just click on Game Day and women's basketball. There is no television coverage.
WISCONSIN COACH JANE ALBRIGHT
Beginning her ninth season, Jane Albright is the winningest women 's basketball coach in Wisconsin history with a 155-91 (.630 percent) record. She has led UW to a school record eight consecutive winning seasons, seven post-season tournament bids and four 20-win seasons. Wisconsin has attended five NCAA tournaments and was the 2000 WNIT Champion and 1999 WNIT runnerup champion. She began the year ranked 53rd among winningest active coaches in the NCAA, and 47th for all-time Division I wins.
INJURY REPORT
The Badgers will be without one of their leading scorers, Leah Hefte, who dislocated her right shoulder Nov. 28 in practice. Hefte will be out 3-4 weeks. The senior tri-captain led the Badgers with 11 points at NIU and she is averaging 9.0 points per game. She is one of UW's main three-point threats hitting 2-of-3 on the season.
TEAM/INDIVIDUAL NOTES
WISCONSIN'S KEY PERSONNEL
' Starting center Emily Ashbaugh (Woodinville, Wash.) is having a breakout season of late as she is averaging a career-best 10.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She tied her career high with 17 against Ball State.
' The other starter returning is senior Kristi Seeger (Stoughton, Wis.) who is averaging 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Last year she contributed 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She was named to her first all-tournament team at the Pepperdine Tournament.
' With the injury to Leah Hefte, sophomore guard Stephanie Rich (Crawfordsville, Iowa), who has doubled at point and shooting guard, has started at the two and plays some three. After not scoring in the first game, she had new career-highs in each of the West coast games, including 20 points on six-of-eight three-pointers vs. Washington. Her previous high was eight points as a freshman. She is the third leading scorer averaging 9.3 points per game and leads in steals with 2.3.
' Senior Leah Hefte (McFarland, Wis.) injured her shoulder Nov. 28 and is out 3-4 weeks. She came off the bench to lead UW in scoring at NIU with 11 points. She is tied with Seeger for leading scorer after two games with a 9.0 points per game and is hitting 8-13 for .615 percent.
' Sophomore Ebba Gebisa (W. Lafayette, Ind.) has started every game averaging 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds. She is the top free throw shooter (10 or more made) hitting 13-15 for .867 percent.
' Ebba's sister, 6-7 junior center Lello Gebisa (W. Lafayette, Ind.) came off the bench to score 16 points in both exhibition games and added 16 rebounds against Lithuania. She had her career-high in points at Washington with 12. She is averaging 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, and leads the team in blocks with nine for 1.7 blocks per game on the season.
' Freshman point guard Ashley Josephson (Onalaska, Wis.) had her first start Nov. 29 vs. UTA. She had her breakout game vs. Washington hitting three-of-three treys for 13 points. She established a new career-high 17 points against Ball State and is second on the team averaging 9.8 points and 1.7 assists per game. She also added 11-13 free throws for .846 percent.
' The Gebisas are Wisconsin's third sister duo to play basketball in school history. They must have played horse in their driveway growing up as they lead the Badgers in free throw shooting (10 or more made). Ebba is 13-15 for .867 % and Lello is 13-16 for .813%.
' Lello Gebisa, a 6-7 junior transfer, will join the Badgers this season. When teamed with 6-5 Emily Asbbaugh and her 6-3 sister, Ebba, UW has the tallest front line in the Big Ten.
WISCONSIN TEAM NOTES
' The Badgers are outrebounding opponents by seven, 36.8 to 30.0 with a season-high 59 in the Pepperdine game (59 to 28 rebounds).
' After opening the season shooting a dismal .356 percent from the floor and just .214 percent from beyond the arc, Wisconsin's improved to a season-high .563 percent from the field in the loss to Washington including a school record 10-12 three-pointer for .833 percent.
' The Badgers have held three opponents to .400 or below in field goal percentage.
' Wisconsin's turnovers are its nemesis averaging 24.0 compared to 17.0 per game by the opponents. UW had a season high 37 turnovers in the overtime loss to Pepperdine, but had a season low vs. Ball State with just 14.
' UW has nine players averaging 11 or more minutes per game.
' Wisconsin likes to `pound it inside' with opponents shooting twice as many three-pointers as Wisconsin (UW 44 attempts, opponents 104).
' The loss to Ball State was just the 16th in the Kohl Center (52-16) and the 22nd home loss for Coach Jane Albright (89-22 for .801 percent) since 1994-95.
' After starting the season just 6-25 for .240 percent from the arc in the first four games, the Badger set a school single game record for best three-point percentage hitting 10-12 for .833 percent.
' Under Jane Albright, UW has won five out of eight regular season tournaments when playing in the championship finals. The Badgers have placed third five times. UW has never been fourth in any regular season tournament since Albright arrived in 1994.
' The Badgers have had at least 18 wins in every season but one since Albright's arrival in 1994-95; they have averaged 19.25 wins/year in those eight seasons.
Season in Review
Dec. 5: Wisconsin battled back from a 16-point second half deficit with an 18-2 run to tie the game at 70 with 5:55 left vs. Ball State. The lead changed five times with Ball State scoring the last bucket, 82-81, with 15 seconds left. A last second shot by Ashley Josephson hit the rim and the rebound basket by Ebba Gebisa was just after the buzzer.
Dec. 2: In a battle of the `U-Dubs' the University of Wisconsin held its own with the University of Washington until mid-way through the first half when Washington's Loree Payne exploded for five-of-seven three-pointers to give the Huskies a formidable 43-30 halftime lead. The Badgers outscored the other UW 39-38 in the second half, but couldn't get closer than 10 points as the Badger record moved to 1-4.
Nov. 30: UW grew up in the championship game with Pepperdine, a team that uses a run-and-gun offense and sticky, harrassing defense. Wisconsin opened with a 10-2 lead, and remained composed through 13 ties and 14 lead changes before succumbing, 67-74, in OT.
Nov. 29: The win over Texas-Arlington at the Pepperdine Tournament was welcome tonic for the Badgers who opened the season 0-2 for the first time since 1989. Wisconsin jelled down the stretch executing offensively for a strong 9-0 finishing that put the nip-and-tuck game away, 58-49.
Nov. 24: Wisconsin's home opener saw improved play but a loss none-the less to UW-Green Bay, 77-52. Wisconsin fell behind early when the Phoenix hit 8-of-11 three pointers in the first stanza but remained in striking distance down six at the half, 34-28. The veteran Green Bay team turned on the after-burners though forcing UW into 24 turnovers and finishing with a Kohl Center record .611 percent on 11-of-18 three-pointers to give Wisconsin its worst loss ever to the Phoenix.
Nov. 22: In the opening week of play, UW returned to Coach Jane Albright's old stomping ground for its season opener with Northern Illinois University. But there wasn't anything truly familiar about the occasion especially the result. Albright, NIU's winning coach during her 10-year tenure, saw her young Badgers lose on a last second shot to a veteran NIU squad, 47-49. The game opened NIU 's new Convocation Center.
UW STARTING LINEUPS
Games Record Lineup (F'F'C'G 'G)
1 0-1 EGebisa, LGebisa, Ashbaugh, Seeger, Rich
2 0-1 EGebisa, Seeger, Ashbaugh, Hefte, Rich
3-6 1-3 EGebisa, Seeger, Ashbaugh, Rich, Josephson
