The Wisconsin women's basketball team (5-5 Big Ten, 16-7 overall) had a rude awakening Thursday evening as Indiana (3-7, 14-9) ended its five game losing streak at Assembly Hall 83-56.
UW junior guards Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks both finished with double-doubles despite the loss. Anderson posted a team high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Banks had 13 points and 14 rebounds, but that was not enough for Wisconsin.
Indiana got off to an explosive start, going on a 19-0 run to start the game. The deficit was too much for Wisconsin to close in on.
""We got blown out the door right away. I thought we were ready. We weren't surprised at what [Indiana] did. They shot the ball very well,"" UW head coach Lisa Stone said after the game. ""Give them credit, they played hard. They were hungry. It was just too big of a hole to dig out of.""
Five Hoosiers posted double-figures, led by senior center Sarah McKay who had her second consecutive double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Nikki Smith scored a team high 22 points, followed by teammates Whitney Thomas with 10, Kim Roberson with 11, and Jamie Braun with 14 points.
""We lost to a better team tonight. They were better than us in every facet of the game,"" Stone said.
Wisconsin will be traveling to the Bryce Jordan Center to challenge Penn State (4-6, 11-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Lady Lions will be hungry for a win at home, as they suffered a loss on the road to Michigan State Thursday night.
The Badgers will have to keep an eye on senior forward Amanda Brown, who currently is the 10th highest scorer in the Big Ten conference. Freshman guard Tyra Grant also has stepped forward, leading her team in scoring Thursday with 22 points.
