Madison - A wise man once said when your college basketball team needs a victory, schedule a "hyphen" team.
After emotionally draining losses to Tennessee and Marquette, nobody needed a victory more than the University of Wisconsin women.
Enter Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, the classic hyphen team.
The Badgers didn't play very well but they didn't need to. The talent gap between the two teams was so great that the Badgers coasted to a 68-55 victory over the visiting Jaguars on Sunday at the Kohl Center.
It was one of those games where the opposing team could have worn the same color uniforms and there wouldn't be any problem telling them apart. The Badgers were the ones who were a head taller.
Wisconsin used its front line of 6-foot-4, 6-3, 6-3 to out-rebound the Jaguars (average front line height: 5-10) by a 2-to-1 margin. With Jessie Stomski (11 rebounds) and Nina Smith (10) leading the way, the Badgers had 56 rebounds to IUPUI's 28.
Wisconsin's size advantage didn't help its shooting, however. The Badgers shot a season-low 37% (25 for 67).
Still, Wisconsin coach Jane Albright, always one to focus on the positive, was pleased with her team's effort against the 3-5 Jaguars.
"With the exception of our shooting percentage I thought we played a pretty good basketball game," Albright said after watching her team improve to 5-3 heading into the Christmas break.
"We worked on the things that I asked them to work on in practice this week. Our guards cut down on their turnovers and I thought they did an exceptional job of getting the ball into our post players."
Still, the scrappy Jaguars forced 21 turnovers, but UW starting point guard Dee Dee Pate and her replacement, Candas Smith, were responsible for only two apiece.
The beneficiaries of the improved guard play were Nina Smith, who had her first double-double (10 rebounds and 14 points) and Stomski, who had her fourth this season (11 rebounds, 13 points).
"We dominated the rebounding but with the height advantage we have, we should," Albright said. "But I really feel good about our starting post players both getting doubles in 20-some minutes of play."
Albright was also pleased with positive efforts by two of her perimeter players, senior guard Kelley Paulus and sophomore guard Kyle Black. Both have struggled with their outside shooting this season, but Paulus hit four of eight off the bench for 12 points and Black (2 for 4) added seven points in 18 minutes.
With final exams looming and no game scheduled until Dec. 30 against Purdue, the Badgers will cut back on their workload for the next two weeks. But Albright knows exactly where the team needs to improve if it is to contend in the Big Ten.
"We have a few more weaknesses than I thought we had earlier in the year," Albright said. "They were pointed out to us very clearly in the last week (against Tennessee and Marquette) and I think that's good.
"When your guards don't shoot as well as you would like, then you have to start telling them to get the ball inside more. We have to have a good shooting game and I'm confident we'll do that."
Albright doesn't expect to shuffle her lineup, but apparently Candas Smith and Black will see more playing time, probably at the expense of Pate and Paulus, in the new year.
"With Kyle playing like she did today she'll probably have more minutes, and when Candas was in there today, some things opened up," Albright said. "I'm not saying (Smith) is near starting, but I think her playing time should go up."