Nov. 7, 2009

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin women’s basketball fans will have their first opportunity to see the 2009-10 squad Sunday with the Badgers host their lone exhibition game of the season. The Badgers play UW-Oshkosh at 1:30 p.m. inside the Kohl Center.

Tickets are still available for tomorrow’s game, but if you’re not in the area, there are a number of ways you can follow the Badgers. Log onto UWBadgers.com to watch a live Web stream (fee involved) and follow the live in-game blog. You can also follow along with live stats courtesy of Gametracker.

Mike Heller is back calling all the Badger action on the radio waves this year and you can hear Sunday’s game live on The Mic 92.1 in the Madison area, or for a fee on InsideBadgerSports.com.

Here are a few notes on both teams to get you ready for tomorrow’s game.

Wisconsin

-The Badgers return all five starters and 10 letterwinners from 2008-09. UW returns more than 88 percent of its scoring and rebounding from a year ago. Eight players averaged 10-or-more minutes per game in 2008-09, including three freshmen.

-Wisconsin adds four active players to the 2009-10 squad. Freshmen Catie O’Leary , Taylor Wurtz and Alyson Bucierka could play Sunday, along with junior Emily Neal, who sat out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

-Head coach Lisa Stone enters her seventh year at Wisconsin. She is on track to win her 100th game at Wisconsin as she is 91-92 in six years on the Badger bench. She will become the third UW coach to win 100-or-more games at the UW.

-Junior Alyssa Karel is the most accurate 3-point shooter in UW history, connecting on .398 percent of her shots from behind the arc in her first two seasons.

-Wisconsin has two seniors on this year’s team, guards Rae Lin D’Alie and Teah Gant. D’ALie has played in 100-straight games as a Badger, while Gant has played in 99 career games. D’Alie could set the UW career record for consecutive games played, which currently stands at 124 games.

- Wisconsin has won its last four games against UW-Oshkosh, with the most recent being a 79-65 victory over the Titans on March 2, 1979, in Oshkosh.  UW-Oshkosh posted a 67-58 win over the Badgers on Feb. 19, 1977, in Madison.

- University of Wisconsin assistant coach Kathi Bennett served as UW-Oshkosh’s head coach from 1990-96. She guided UW-Oshkosh to a 155-32 record, including a perfect 31-0 mark in 1995-96 when the Titans captured the NCAA Division III title. Bennett, who was inducted into UW-Oshkosh’s Hall of Fame in 2003, also directed UW-Oshkosh teams to five WIAC titles and six NCAA Division III postseason appearances.

UW-Oshkosh

- UW-Oshkosh’s 13-player roster consists of six freshmen, three sophomores and four juniors.  The Titans don’t have a senior on their roster for the second consecutive year.

- UW-Oshkosh returns three players who have started at least 17 games.  Guard Michelle Boeder leads the Titans with 40 career starts, while forward Shelby Churchill has 25 and guard Laura Ebbens 17.  All three players are entering their junior season.

- Churchill is UW-Oshkosh’s top returning player.  Last season, Churchill received all-WIAC honorable mention recognition after averaging 9.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.  She ranked 20th in the WIAC in scoring and fourth in rebounding.

- UW-Oshkosh has won or shared 10 WIAC titles in the past 19 years, including two in the past six seasons.

- UW-Oshkosh has finished third place or higher in the WIAC standings 17 times in the past 20 years.

- UW-Oshkosh has compiled a 330-110 record the past 16 seasons, with a minimum of 19 victories in 13 of those campaigns.