Imani Lewis 2018-19
Tom Lynn

Women's Basketball Tia Martin

Five Things to Know: North Florida

Badgers open pre-season on Nov. 5

Women's Basketball Tia Martin

Five Things to Know: North Florida

Badgers open pre-season on Nov. 5

MADISON, WIS.- The Wisconsin women's basketball team is slotted to open their season at the Kohl Center against North Florida. The game will take place on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.

Here are five things to know before tip-off.

1. Quick Refresher: Wisconsin ended their 2018-19 season at the Big Ten Tournament after falling to Michigan in double overtime in the quarterfinals. Ranked No. 13, they defeated No. 12 Penn State and No. five Ohio State before heading up against Michigan. They ended the season 15-18, the best record in almost a decade. 

2. Bring 'Em Back: The Badgers boast talent in their returners. Most notable is sophomore Imani Lewis. Named All-Big Ten Media Honorable Mention last season, Lewis set three UW freshman records with 102 made free-throws, 172 free-throws attempted and 244 rebounds. She also ranked second on the team with a scoring average of 12.2 ppg behind graduate Marsha Howard and scored a career-high 22 points against Iowa. Also coming back to lead for the Badgers are seniors Kendra Van Leeuwen and Suzanne Gilreath. Van Leeuwen led the team in assists with 140 on the season and shot 64.4% from the free-throw line. In her time at Wisconsin, she has started 92 of 94 games played. Gilreath holds the season records for three-pointers made with 55 and attempted with 170. She finished last season 92.3% at the free-throw line going 12 for 13.

3. Fresh Faces: Wisconsin welcomes four freshmen to the team for the 2019-20 season, guards Sydney Hilliard and Julie Pospisilova, forward Tara Stauffacher and forward/center Sara Stapleton. All four players have been ranked among the top 150 players in the country for the class of 2023 by Blue Star Index and make up the 18th ranked recruiting class in the country as well. Hilliard and Stauffacher are both Wisconsin natives while Stapleton hails from Minnesota and Pospisilova comes to the Badgers from the Czech Republic.

4. Osprey Opponents: UW takes on first-time opponent, North Florida. The Ospreys went 15-14 last season and return 10 players, including pre-season All-Conference honoree redshirt-junior Jazz Bond. 

5. Next Up: Catch the Badgers at the Kohl Center on Sun. Nov. 10 as they face off against Wofford at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here. 

The game against North Florida will be broadcast on TuneIn. Tickets for the game can be found here. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Marsha Howard

#11 Marsha Howard

F
6' 0"
Senior
Chicago, Ill.
Suzanne Gilreath

#3 Suzanne Gilreath

G
5' 4"
Senior
Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Imani Lewis

#34 Imani Lewis

F
6' 1"
Sophomore
Kendra Van Leeuwen

#10 Kendra Van Leeuwen

G
5' 10"
Senior
Brantford, Ontario
Julie Pospisilova

#5 Julie Pospisilova

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Sydney Hilliard

#30 Sydney Hilliard

G
5' 11"
Freshman
Tara Stauffacher

#40 Tara Stauffacher

F
5' 11"
Freshman
Sara Stapleton

#41 Sara Stapleton

F/C
6' 3"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Marsha Howard

#11 Marsha Howard

6' 0"
Senior
Chicago, Ill.
F
Suzanne Gilreath

#3 Suzanne Gilreath

5' 4"
Senior
Brooklyn Park, Minn.
G
Imani Lewis

#34 Imani Lewis

6' 1"
Sophomore
F
Kendra Van Leeuwen

#10 Kendra Van Leeuwen

5' 10"
Senior
Brantford, Ontario
G
Julie Pospisilova

#5 Julie Pospisilova

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Sydney Hilliard

#30 Sydney Hilliard

5' 11"
Freshman
G
Tara Stauffacher

#40 Tara Stauffacher

5' 11"
Freshman
F
Sara Stapleton

#41 Sara Stapleton

6' 3"
Freshman
F/C