Badgers set for final non-conference test
December 15, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2010
MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (4-7) concludes its non-conference slate tonight when it takes on the Wyoming Cowgirls (6-2) in Laramie, Wyo. The Badgers look to extend their current two-game winning streak at 8 p.m. (CT) in the Arena Auditorium.
UW enters the contest after capturing back-to-back wins over Drake and Milwaukee on Dec. 9 and 12, respectively.
Wisconsin defeated the Bulldogs, 60-49 to not only recorded the Badgers’ first victory in seven contests, but also mark the return of Wisconsin head coach Lisa Stone to Drake, where she served as head coach from 2000-2003.
In the Badgers’ triumph over Milwaukee last Sunday, the squad pulled away from the Panthers to make the scoreboard read 68-53 at the final buzzer.
The Cardinal and White look to extend their streak to three wins tonight in their third meeting with Wyoming in program history.
The Cowgirls enter the matchup after recently defeating the Westminster Griffins, 75-57 for their sixth win of the season. Four of the five starters helped carry the team to the 18-point victory by reaching double figures in scoring.
Leading the group was senior Hillary Carlson, who tied her career high with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field. In addition, Aubrey Vandiver chipped in 16 points while also pulling down 17 rebounds. Wrapping up the list of double-figure contributors was Jade Kennedy and Chaundra Sewell, who finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Wyoming’s five other victories have come over Denver, Dickinson State, UT-Chattanooga, Wichita State and Idaho. The Cowgirl’s losses were to Creighton and UC Irvine.
The Badgers look to uphold their stature as the second-ranked defense in the Big Ten Conference against a tough Wyoming offense.
The Cowgirls have led their opponents in nearly every scoring category including field goal percentage (.399 to .390) and 3-point field goal percentage (.323 to .309).
Wisconsin enters the contest as second-best in the league in scoring defense, giving up just 57.5 points per game. The Cardinal and White are second in field goal defense at 35.8 percent and third in 3-point field goal defense at 29.5 percent. Wisconsin is also second in rebounding defense at 34.9 percent.
The Badgers and Cowgirls are 2-0 all-time with Wyoming slating both victories in their head-to-head history.
Wisconsin looks to claim its first victory over Wyoming before taking more than two weeks off from competition for final exams and the holidays before opening the Big Ten season Dec. 30 at Purdue (5-3). Tip-off is at 6 p.m. from Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
