The story of David and Goliath would prove a prime comparison for the plight of the Wisconsin women’s basketball team this season. The Badgers have found themselves in the role of David many times this year, especially since the beginning of the Big Ten season, as their post players have been forced to contend with much larger opponents.

Wisconsin is adjusting to a new style of play after losing a pair of big post players, Lello Gebisa and Emily Ashbaugh, last season. Their presence was a key equalizer against bigger teams, giving the Badgers a pair of solid defenders who could match up against the league’s bigger post players.

However, this season the Badgers have struggled, especially early on, against some of the more dominant post players in the league. The Badgers have started forwards Jordan Wilson and Annie Nelson, neither of whom is taller than 6-foot-1, for the majority of the season. The Badgers two tallest players, senior Ebba Gebisa and freshman Danielle Ward, both 6-foot-3, lack the bulk to play with some of the bigger players in the league.

Admittedly, their limited height and bulk, respectively, has been a disadvantage for the team at times throughout the season.

“We’re definitely more of a finesse team,” Nelson said. “With our size, we definitely aren’t powerhouses down below. But if we use our size to our advantage and go up-and-under or around them, then it’s to our advantage.”

The Badgers opened the Big Ten season against a tough Purdue team featuring 6-foot-2 forward Erin Lawless. Lawless created matchup problems for the Badgers all game, with her combination of outside shooting ability and inside dominance.

The tall forward made a pair of 3-point baskets as part of her 9-for-15 shooting performance; a 29-point outing that included a 9-for-10 performance from the free throw line and seven rebounds.

Two games later, the Badgers’ inside defense was again exposed by a dominant post player — this time Minnesota’s Janel McCarville. A wide body, McCarville dominated the Badgers for 15 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. Minnesota outscored Wisconsin 36-28 in the paint that night.

“We had trouble scoring obviously in the second half and the plan was obviously to limit the touch of Janel McCarville, and in the first half she had 18 touches, 12 in the post so obviously we allowed her to have the ball a little bit too much,” Wisconsin head coach Lisa Stone said after the Badgers’ loss to the Gophers.

But the worst was yet to come. In their home matchup against Ohio State Jan. 27, Wisconsin was dominated by sophomore center Jessica Davenport. The 6-foot-5 Davenport was too tall and too powerful for the undersized Badgers.

Despite a rotating lineup of defenders including Nelson and Gebisa, Davenport finished the contest with 36 points and nine rebounds. The Buckeyes finished the game with a 56-24 advantage in points in the paint and out-rebounded the Badgers 42-27.

“It was her strength and her height, she could back us down. We did not neutralize her,” Stone said.

However the Ohio State contest appears to be the turn in this classic tale.

“The coaches want us to step up, especially on the boards,” Ward said. “They want more on the offensive boards, defensive boards and on more effort on defense.”

The Badgers, for their part, seem to have taken their coaches challenge to heart. Since the Buckeye debacle, Wisconsin has been outscored in the paint only once, a slight 32-28 Iowa advantage being the only game since.

Even more impressive is that the Badger success cannot be attributed to a weaker schedule. The Badgers have contained Indiana’s Angela Hawkins and Iowa’s leading scorer Jamie Cavey, an all-Big Ten selection last season, during the span.

Instead the Badgers have used a back-to-basics approach to spur their improved defensive effort the last few games.

“We front them and just try not to let the ball come in and we always have help side defense there to try and stop the ball inside or take a charge on them,” Nelson said.

But perhaps the greatest improvement has come in the attitude of the players. The team has put forth increased effort, especially on the defensive end, attempting to outwork opponents rather than dwelling on their inherent physical advantage.

“You’ve got to outwork someone bigger than you. That is the goal with anybody, is to outwork them and make sure you out-rebound them,” said Ward. “You can’t just focus on one player’s size and how to guard that, otherwise you’ll forget all the other things that you prepared on for the game.”