INDIANAPOLIS'Despite a successful Big Ten Tournament run that countered its recent losing slump, the Wisconsin women's basketball team (10-9 Big Ten, 19-11 overall) fell to Penn State (12-5 Big Ten, 21-10 overall) in the semifinals Sunday. Penn State will face Indiana, who topped defending champion Purdue 55-41, in the finals Monday.
Although senior forward Jessie Stomski had a season-high 32 points in the Badgers' 76-62 loss to the Nittany Lions, she could not quite top the nation's leading scorer, sophomore guard Kelly Mazzante. Mazzante, who sank seven of her eight three-pointers in the second half, earned 34 points throughout the game, nearly half of her team's total points.
In their first appearance in the semifinals, the women maintained good defense and good execution in the first half, according to Head Coach Jane Albright. The Badgers led 33-31 and shot 48.3 percent in the first half.
But despite their success early in the game, they could not hold Penn State back and the Nittany Lions exploded onto the court, commencing the second half with a 15-0 run the Badgers never recovered from.
Foul trouble plagued the Badgers throughout the game, one reason for Penn State's second-half rally. Senior guard Tamara Moore and junior guard Candas Smith had four fouls in the second half, limiting their ability to hold Mazzante, whose 18-2 run at the start of the period led the team to the win.
Although Mazzante wowed the crowd with her 34 points, Stomski's performance matched hers. In addition to her 32 points, Stomski had 16 rebounds and earned her 12th double-double of the season, just one short of the school record held by Theresa Huff. Stomski was the only Badger to score in double-digits against Penn State.
Now that the Tournament is over for UW, Wisconsin's playoff destiny will be revealed March 10 with the announcement of the NCAA Tournament brackets. The selection will be televised on ESPN.
