The WolfPack women’s basketball team has been on a roll and it could not have come at a better time. Early on in the season coach Jessica Pelzel said she knew the WolfPack had a deep roster, good defensive chemistry and a chance to make noise in the postseason. The key, she said, would be how the WolfPack competed during conference play.

With a holiday trip to Scottsdale, Ariz., along with the holidays themselves, it was unclear how the team would respond to conference play in late December and early January.

Any questions about how the WolfPack would respond have been answered emphatically.

The WolfPack opened conference play with a huge win over Triton College, winning, 86-28. It was a game that saw the WolfPack force 31 turnovers in the first half alone. Keying the WolfPack’s dominance was a full court press that had a demoralizing effect on Triton.

“Having them turn the ball over 31 times in the first half helps us out tremendously,” Pelzel said. “And that kind of pressure is going to help us all season.”

In the sport of basketball there is almost no equalizer like that of stifling defensive pressure. Watching the WolfPack execute their press and using it to fuel transition baskets reinforces that sentiment. Triton’s players began to get exhausted which led to frustration, which led to utter loss of composure both for its players and its coaches.

The WolfPack followed their win against Triton with three straight wins last week, two of which came in overtime. Included in that streak was a 104-97 overtime win at MATC in Milwaukee, a team that was ranked fifth in the nation.

Perhaps most notable during the three game streak was the re-emergence of star freshman guard Gabrielle Hood, who had been away from the team for personal reasons. Hood caught fire against Milwaukee, scoring 29 points and using her quick hands to come up with four steals, helping fuel the WolfPack’s vaunted defense.

The WolfPack are now 11-5 with a 3-0 record in the conference. But Pelzel won’t let the team let up.

“It’s gonna be tough. It’s gonna be a grind,” Pelzel said. “ We’ve got more good teams than not in the conference.”

Looming large for the WolfPack is the Jan. 22 home game with longtime rival Rock Valley, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Pelzel said she only pays attention to how the teams matchup on the floor, not how their matched in the rankings.

“The rankings are what they are. We don’t pay too much attention to it, whether we’re in it or not,” Pelzel said. “The big thing is that we play like we can against teams so that we can do the things we want to do and not concentrate so much on them.”

Judging by the trail of opponents turnovers, miscues and low field goal percentages it is clear just what it is the WolfPack want to do. Pressure the ball and break the opponent’s will. That is what they have been doing all season and if they do it against Rock Valley on Wednesday, they will be a major step closer to accomplishing their lofty preseason goals.