Madison -- The Nina Smith era at the University of Wisconsin began with an offensive foul and a defensive lapse.
But after shooing away the butterflies, the Badgers' prize freshman showed the Wisconsin faithful what they can expect for the next four years.
Plenty.
With Smith virtually unstoppable on the blocks, scoring 13 points in just 21 minutes, the Badgers disposed of a feisty Athletes in Action squad, 76-66, in an exhibition game Tuesday night at the Kohl Center before a crowd of 7,248.
"When I was sitting on the bench, I was a little nervous but once I got in there and made my first basket, it started to come back again," said the 6-foot-4 Smith, who also had two rebounds.
Smith entered the game with 14:16 left in the first half and was called for clearing out post player Jenny Noll with her left forearm in her first trip down the floor. Two possessions later, the 6-5 Noll went right over Smith with a turnaround to score.
But Smith got even soon thereafter when she took an entry pass from Tamara Moore, spun completely around a stunned Noll, positioning herself for an easy basket and a foul.
"As nervous as I was I thought I did pretty good," Smith said. "I can see things I need to work on. I could definitely tell it was my first game of college ball."
Smith, the No. 1 recruit in the nation last year, showed where her strength is. She is virtually an immovable force on the blocks and has the moves to be a devastating scorer in the post.
Although she is a good outside shooter, she didn't show it in this game, as all of her field goals came from within 3 feet of the basket. Her defense and especially her rebounding are the two areas that she will need to address.
Badgers coach Jane Albright, who has designated Smith one of six players who will start, along with the five returning starters from last year, was satisfied with Smith's work.
"I think she was exceptional on offense and I think the rebounding needs to improve," Albright said.
Although Smith was the reason many of the fans turned out for the game, they got an eyeful from the team's returning stalwarts. All five of them played their roles to the hilt as they beat a team that has won five of its eight exhibitions against Division I foes, losing only to Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan.
An opportunistic Moore led the Badgers' attack with 20 points, making all six of her free throws, and LaTonya Sims added 15 points and six rebounds. Jessie Stomski pulled down 14 of Wisconsin's 41 rebounds and scored 10, and Dee Dee Pate scored two points and dished out four assists.