Behind a game-high 24 points from sophomore guard Jolene Anderson, the Wisconsin women's basketball its (5-5 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) ended their five-game losing streak with a 72-57 road victory over UW-Milwaukee Wednesday at the Klotche Center.
Sharing the spotlight with Anderson was fellow sophomore Janese Banks, who chipped in 11 points and handed out a career-high 11 assists.
'More heroic efforts by Jolene Anderson tonight,' UW head coach Lisa Stone said of Anderson, who recorded her third double-double of the season. 'Janese played better. Our guards got on the glass. That is what they do. They score points because of their rebounding.'
Falling just short of making Badger history, Banks was three rebounds shy of recording UW women's basketball's first triple-double.
As a team, UW shot 45 percent from the field and an impressive 50 percent from three-point range. Conversely, the Panthers shot a dismal 32 percent, a season-low for Wisconsin opponents.
In the opening half, the Panthers held a one-point lead at the 8:18 mark, but the Badgers answered with a three-pointer from Anderson to put Wisconsin up 17-15. Her basketball prompted a 21-7 run and Wisconsin led 36-22 at halftime.
'We talked at half about not letting up,' Stone said. 'We have been in that situation before. We have been in every situation. We are happy to get our sixth win. We needed to get this mark off our back.'
The Badgers went on a 15-3 run to take a 23-point lead, 53-30 with just under six minutes to play.
UWM senior guard Nichole Drummond, a Kenosha native, led the Panthers with 15 points while freshman center Traci Edwards tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Badgers have eight days off before playing host to Western Illinois at 7 p.m. Dec. 23 at the Kohl Center.
