Wisconsin Overpowers Eastern Illinois
December 10, 2002 | Women's Basketball
The University of Wisconsin used its inside strength to down the undersized Eastern Illinois Panthers 78-52 in the Kohl Center this evening. The Badgers scored 32 points in the paint and outrebounded EIU 50-24 to secure the victory. Wisconsin improves to 2-5 on the season, while Eastern Illinois drops to 1-6.
The Badgers broke open a close game with a 13-6 run after halftime and never looked back in a dominating second-half performance. Wisconsin's full-court pressure defense rattled the Panthers and forced numerous turnovers in the second stanza as UW took control of the game. EIU, which had only eight miscues in the first half, finished the game with 21 turnovers.
Wisconsin forwards Emily Ashbaugh and Lello Gebisa led the decisive run as the Badgers took over the game. Gebisa scored nine of her 11 points during the stretch and Ashbaugh chipped in with seven points, three rebounds, and two assists as the Badgers pushed their lead to 56-39 with twelve minutes remaining in the game.
'I think our team did a good job in the second half of playing a very intense game,' said Wisconsin Head Coach Jane Albright. 'We dominated the boards. Emily [Ashbaugh] was the biggest aspect of that. '
Eastern Illinois could not recover from the Badger onslaught, and Wisconsin's defense kept the Panthers off balance the rest of the way. After shooting 48% from the floor in the first half, EIU converted only 35% of their field-goal attempts over the final twenty minutes.
'I thought we were able to change defenses [in the second half] very effectively,' analyzed Coach Albright. 'We were able to force 21 turnovers, and I'm really happy that we forced them to shoot 34 percent. '
The Badgers led for the entire first half, but could not shake the pesky Panthers, whose timely baskets kept them close throughout the period. The two teams traded field goals for much of the half with EIU's outside shooting countering the Badgers' performance in the paint. Wisconsin held a slim 28-25 lead with just over five minutes to play when consecutive lay-ups by Kristi Seeger and Stephanie Rich pushed the lead to seven points, 32-25, the largest of the half.
A quick EIU timeout and a three-pointer by the Panthers' Megan Sparks cut short the Badger run, but Ashley Josephson hit a jumper late in the half to send the Badgers into the locker room up 36-30.
Rich led four UW players in double figures with a team-high 14 points. Ashbaugh recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a season-high 12 rebounds, while Seeger contributed 12 points and seven rebounds. Gebisa was the final Badger in double figures, and freshman forward Jordan Wilson scored a career-high eight points off of the bench.
Sparks led all scorers with 16 points for the Panthers, and center Allison Collins added 12 points. Brooke Gossett finished with 10 points and a team-high five rebounds.
The Badgers travels to Iowa to take on the Drake Bulldogs this coming Saturday, December 14 at 2:00 PM in their final game before the winter break.
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