Badgers Outlast Athletes in Action
November 06, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Senior Tri-Captain Jessie Stomski made two free throws with 1.6 seconds on the clock to give the University of Wisconsin the lead for good in tonight's thrilling 75-71 victory over Athletes in Action. The Badgers overcame a poor 32% shooting performance in the second half to outlast the visiting Crusaders and win their second consecutive pre-season exhibition game.
The Badgers squandered a nine-point (44-35) halftime lead as sloppy ball-handling and cold outside shooting led to a spirited comeback by AIA in the second stanza. Wisconsin led by as many as 13 points late in the game, but the Crusaders stepped up their defense to give UW a scare in the Field House.
A three-point basket by guard Kristi Seeger at the 7:41 mark of the second half pushed Wisconsin's lead to a seemingly comfortable 65-52. Over the next seven minutes, however, Wisconsin committed five turnovers and could muster only six points on 2-10 shooting as AIA mounted a 19-6 run that tied the game at 71-71 on a three-point basket by former Canadian National Team member Elizabeth Hart.
On the ensuing position, offensive rebounds by Seeger and Stomski gave the Badgers several looks at the basket before Stomski was fouled as time ran down. The 6-2 forward calmly sank both ends of a one-and-one situation to preserve the victory for Wisconsin. Kyle Black stole the ball on AIA's inbounds play, and made two more free throws to give Wisconsin the final margin of victory, 75-71.
Stomski led the Badgers down low with a second straight double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Guard Tamara Moore added 17 points, six assists, and five steals in directing the UW offense. Black finished the game with nine points, while Seeger and newcomers Stephanie Rich and Ebba Gebisa each chipped in with seven points.
Wisconsin opens the regular season at home against the University of Washington on Sunday, November 18 at 4:00 PM in the Kohl Center.
