GREEN BAY -- Size isn't everything.

Oh, really?

Try telling that to the UW-Green Bay women's basketball team following its 66-56 loss to the University of Wisconsin Wednesday night at the Brown County Arena.

The smaller, scrappier Phoenix outworked the bigger, stronger Badgers for 35 minutes. But down the stretch, No. 25 Wisconsin simply pounded the ball inside to close the game with a 17-7 run that helped the Badgers end their season-opening, five-game road trip with a 4-1 record. Last year, UW won just three games outside of Madison all season.

"We have fight in us,'' UWGB coach Kevin Borseth said of his Phoenix. "I don't think there's any question about that at all.

"I just think you witnessed a very determined basketball team in Wisconsin down the stretch, when they just took the ball and rammed it right down our throat.''

Wisconsin's starting front line of freshman center Nina Smith (6-foot-4), sophomore power forward Jessie Stomski (6-3) and junior small forward LaTonya Sims (6-3) towered over UWGB, which stared just one player taller than 5-foot-10. In the end, Smith had 15 points (on 7-of-11 shooting) and five rebounds, Stomski had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Sims had a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds.

Shooting guard Tamara Moore, who is 5-11, added 11 points and 12 rebounds, as the Badgers clobbered the Phoenix, 53-29, on the boards and outscored them, 14-4, at the free-throw line.

The Phoenix (1-4), which won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference title last year, got 15 points each from Melanie Tilque and Trisha Ebel.

"I know the Green Bay system and their players, and they outwork people,'' said UW coach Jane Albright, who won her 100th game at Wisconsin. "And I really felt like if we could outwork them -- and I'm not going to say we did outwork them, but we were at least equal -- I felt like things would work out down the stretch.

"Eventually, I think our size difference did pay off down the stretch.''

Eventually. But for much of the game, UWGB found a way to stay step-for-step with the more gifted Badgers.

In the first half, Wisconsin outrebounded the Phoenix, 27-12, outscored them from the foul line, 6-3, and had two fewer turnovers. Yet Wisconsin led just 32-31 at intermission after hitting only 36.1 percent of its shots from the floor.

For most of the game, UWGB simply packed its man-to-man defense inside the 3-point arc and dared the Badgers to score from outside. Wisconsin guards combined to hit just 4 of 17 shots (23.5 percent) from the field.

"I felt like the first half they took us out of our game, I really want to compliment their defense,'' Albright said of UWGB. "We really had some problems scoring.''

In the second half, the Badgers started hitting their shots, but 11 UW turnovers in the first 11 minutes kept the Phoenix in it. UWGB, meanwhile, had just one second-half turnover.

The Phoenix had a golden chance to take control of the game after a 7-2 spurt put UWGB on top, 49-47, with just over 9 minutes left. Anne Warden scored all seven points during that spurt, hitting a 3-pointer, a tough shot over Stomski and a layup. But the Phoenix missed shots on its next seven possessions, and the Badgers finally decided to take charge.

"They were excited and they wanted it, and adrenaline will do a lot of things for teams,'' Smith said of UWGB putting a scare into the Badgers. "But I think when we play with heart and emotion, we just totally look like a different team. I think that's just a part of how our team is. When we get in tight situations, that's when we started to play with heart and started playing aggressive and not scared.

"We came out a little lethargic, but put things together in the end when we needed to.''

With the game tied at 49-49, Sims swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 5:36 to play before Kyle Black hit two fouls shots for a 54-49 UW lead with 4:39 left. Until that point, UW hadn't led by more than four points the entire second half, while the Phoenix never led by more than two.

The Badgers then put the game away by pounding the ball inside on three straight possessions -- and scoring each time -- for a 62-54 lead with 2:02 to play. Smith scored two baskets, while Stomski scored the other as UWGB simply couldn't match the Badgers' beef in the paint.

The Badgers shot 57.1 percent from the field in the second half, while UWGB shot 27.5 percent.

UWGB's Forseth was a bit surprised the Badgers didn't go inside earlier, and more often.

"I don't know that (the Badgers) were real pointed in their efforts of trying to get it in there,'' said the Phoenix coach. "When they wanted to throw it in there they just threw it in there, that was very evident. And I don't know that they wanted to throw it in there as badly during the first 35 minutes of that game.''

Wisconsin's perimeter game was hurt by the absence of senior shooting guard Kelley Paulus, who missed her second straight game with a concussion suffered Saturday. Paulus is expected to be ready Sunday, when the Badgers open the home portion of their season with a game vs. No. 3 Tennessee.

"We've had our last five games on the road, and not every game is going to be a blowout,'' said a drained Sims, who scored in double figures for the 49th straight game. "We knew they'd play us tough and down to the wire, and they did. I think we are the biggest opponent on their schedule and they were out to get us.

"But we knew this was a very important game going into Tennessee. Now, I'm just excited to be headed home.''