One team has to win.
The Wisconsin women’s basketball team has lost its last six Big Ten games. Northwestern has dropped 38 straight regular-season conference games. One team’s streak will have to end tonight at 7 p.m, when the Wildcats (4-19, 0-12 Big Ten) face off against the Badgers (16-7, 7-6) at the Kohl Center.
“Right now we are just worried about winning,” Wisconsin senior Jessie Stomski said. “It doesn’t matter where we play or who we play, we need to win.”
Thursday’s contest is not just another conference game for the Badgers. It will be Senior Night in Madison, marking the final home game for Stomski and teammate Tamara Moore.
During their four seasons at Wisconsin, Stomski and Moore have led the Badgers to a 47-13 record at the Kohl Center.
“I’m not going to cry, and I know everyone does the same thing on Senior Night,” Moore said. “At the same time, it is very emotional, and we want to win our last home game.”
Moore and Stomski now call Madison their home, but the two have known each other since their days back in Minneapolis.
It’s no coincidence that Moore and Stomski both left the North Star State and committed to Wisconsin. Teammates on the North Tartan AAU team since 10th grade, the two heavily recruited high-school stars wanted to remain teammates at the college level.
“We talked about playing together in college, but we did not put pressure on each other,” Moore said. “We both really like Wisconsin. It has a great new facility, great education and the coaching staff really cares about us. It is also very close to home.”
The two had no problem adjusting to their new surroundings. In their first season, Moore and Stomski both averaged double figures in points and led the Badgers to an NIT championship.
Stomski was the 1999 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors.
“Jessie is a very powerful player inside, but she can also step outside and hit open jumpers,” Moore said. “I think it’s good because we all do something different for our team.”
While Stomski dominates opponents inside, Moore makes them pay from the outside. The 5-foot-11 guard has always used her quickness to score off the dribble. But this season, Moore has added a shot from the behind the arc to her arsenal.
“I just try to break people down off the dribble,” Moore said. “I have worked this year though on hitting more three-pointers and pulling up. I also always just try to find the open man.”
Moore, who has 140 assists this season, usually has open teammates because of the attention opponents devote toher and Stomski. The double-teams Moore and Stomski face have forced other players to raise their game to another level. Fellow senior Kyla Black has answered the call so well she has transformed the dynamic duo into a triple threat.
Black has contributed 12.9 points per game and has become the Badgers most dangerous player from long range. The point guard has nailed 61 three-pointers this year and has made opponents concentrate less on Moore and Stomski.
“Moore and Stomski are great players, but Wisconsin has a lot of good players,” NU coach June Olkowski said. “We need to have good ball pressure and answer whatever they do.”
Olkowski and the Cats did a good job of matching Wisconsin’s play in a 70-65 home loss back on Jan. 13. Stomski committed two early fouls and never got in the flow of the game. Moore burned NU for 24 points, but turned the ball over 11 times.
“Northwestern played us very tough at their place, and their record is not much of a factor,” Stomski said. “Senior Night will be emotional until the horn sounds – then winning the game will be our No. 1 priority.”
