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The Wisconsin women?s basketball team was all smiles on Valentine?s Day, earning a much-needed 66-64 win over visiting Illinois.

Right from the tipoff, both teams were evenly matched in nearly every category. When the Badgers would commit one of their 11 turnovers, the Fighting Illini would give the ball right back on the ensuing possession.

An initial concern for Wisconsin (5-8, 12-11) coming into Thursday night?s matchup was the uncertainty in the post. Post defense has been a struggle all season for the Badgers, and matched up against an athletic UI center, Jenna Smith, the struggles continued throughout most of the first half.

As the game progressed, however, the Badger double-team was able to stop Smith, ultimately forcing difficult shots away from the paint or blocking them completely.

Neither team had much success finishing possessions, with both teams shooting barely more than 30 percent in the first half, with Illinois (6-8, 14-11) leading 29-28. Senior Jolene Anderson was the scoring catalyst at the half for the Badgers, shooting 5-of-9 on field goals and 2-of-4 on shots beyond the arc. Anderson finished with 25 points for the game.

?In the first half we played Illinois? style of basketball,? Anderson said. ?That?s what we talked about at halftime; so it was huge to come out in the second half and get a stop and score the first four points.?

After the break, the Illini gave the Badgers a new look defensively, applying a full-court press after a Smith basket. Unaccustomed to the pressure, the Badgers made two quick turnovers as a result of careless passing by the guards.

Taking time to think things over during a timeout, sophomore guard Rae Lin D?Alie sped past her defenders, setting up an Anderson lay-up the very next play.

?There weren?t a lot of people out there, and coach told us we needed to keep our energy where it had to be,? senior Janese Banks said. ?If we want this game we have got to play.?

With a five-point lead and less than two minutes to go, the Fighting Illini weren?t ready to quit. Driving and dishing, IU guard Rebecca Harris was able to set up Smith for several quick baskets to gain a one-point lead. The Illinois run would set up a hotly contested scoring battle for the remaining minutes, until there was 30.4 seconds remaining. Wisconsin had the ball and a two-point lead, forcing Illinois to foul.

D?Alie missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, and with only four ticks on the clock, the Illini had a chance to tie or take the lead.

Barreling down the court, Harris got within five feet of the basket, throwing up a shot, while falling to the floor. She traveled and game ended, though the Illini wanted a foul called, possibly forcing overtime.

?[Banks] came underneath me and that obviously caused me to travel,? Harris said. ?I know when I went up, there was a collision, and I don?t know how to explain that one to you, but the outcome was the outcome.?

With the win, the Badgers are now 2-6 in games decided by six points or less, most recently losing to Ohio State by three.

?I?m proud of our basketball team for holding off a late Illinois run,? UW head coach Lisa Stone said. ?I thought we did some really good things down the stretch, and we were finally able to catch a break; our team deserves it.?

?This is a great team,? UI head coach Jolette Law said referring to the Badgers. ?Their record didn?t indicate what this team is all about.?

With another victory, UW still has high postseason hopes, with five games left in conference play. Also, practices will come few and far between in the next 10 days, with games on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday next week. A night to enjoy the win is all Wisconsin has, with a rematch against Northwestern Monday.

?We are hopefully going to use this win to springboard us into our next game,? Stone said. ?We are really looking to build our momentum going into the end of the season.?