Dec. 31, 2009
Head Coach Lisa Bluder
Opening Statement
It wasn’t the prettiest victory, but we’re not in a situation where we’re going to ponder wins and complain about the way we got them. We know we had too many turnovers and missed too many free throws. Those are things that we can watch on film and correct. We’re celebrating the fact that we got our first Big Ten win over a team that just beat the 16th-ranked team in the country. I thought our defense was good. It was nice to see Kachine get the double-double again. I thought our zone defense was pretty good tonight.
Key to Defense
Our zone shifts were very good. We didn’t let them get any good looks at the basket. They had some three’s and they were contested. We kept the ball out of the paint for the first half for the most part and didn’t give them any high percentage looks.
First Half Play
Our first 20 minutes of this game were pretty darn good. Our defense was moving well and our offense was clicking. We really started to take advantage of the clock. When we have a significant lead, let’s not take quick shots; let’s really work for some good shots. Unfortunately, we turned the ball over and didn’t hit our free throws once we went to that style of play. We have got to learn how to play with a lead. We haven’t been in that situation a whole lot this year.
21, Kachine Alexander
On Wisconsin’s Run
We knew they were going to go on a run at some point in the game. We kept telling ourselves that we had to withstand that run and just keep focus. We shoot free throws every day in practice, so that’s normal. We just needed to keep focus and that’s what we did. I never thought the game was going to slip away. Every team goes on a run, that’s the game of basketball. It’s whoever withstands the run.
24, Jaime Printy
Wisconsin’s Run
Wisconsin started knocking down some shots and we had a couple breakdowns in defense and dumb turnovers. We kept our composure, stayed focused and kept a double digit lead for the most part.