[media-credit name=’YANA PASKOVA/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Wisconsin avenged an earlier six-point loss to Minnesota and snapped a five-game losing streak to the Gophers with a 67-61 upset win Sunday at the Kohl Center. The Badgers also got their first win over a ranked opponent this season.

A season-high 14,697 in attendance saw Wisconsin use a strong second half to defeat No. 16-ranked Minnesota, currently on a four-game skid.

"I'm very, very proud of our basketball team," UW head coach Lisa Stone said. "We were composed down the stretch and we got the game to a situation where we got to the free throw line and Janese [Banks] makes some big free throws on the day before her birthday. It's a very happy, happy locker room. But I can't say enough about it. This is a big, big win for us. Especially in front of such a great crowd."

Banks led UW in scoring with 18 points and snared five rebounds. She also hit four clutch free throws in the last 18 seconds, as the Badgers scored the last six points of the game to come away with the victory.

Wisconsin found itself down 14 in the first half after nine straight points by Minnesota's leading scorer, Jamie Broback. But Broback picked up her third foul with five minutes to go in the first half and the Badgers, with the help of 10 first-half points by Ashley Josephson, finished on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to two points heading into the break.

"We can't have Jamie [Broback] sitting on the bench for very long. She is a consistent offensive player and a threat on the floor and obviously one of our go-to players," Minnesota head coach Pam Borton said. "To have both Natasha [Williams] and Jamie, our two starting post players, on the bench with four fouls obviously hurt us on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively. Jamie's got to find a way to keep herself on the floor."

Broback led all scorers with 21 points and had a chance to put Minnesota ahead with 1:20 to go on a three-point play but missed the free throw, and Minnesota did not score again. Wisconsin answered when Danielle Ward made what proved to be the game-winning shot on an assist from Jordan Wilson.

"The pressure that Minnesota put on our perimeter all night long on Janese and [Jolene and Ashley] … they stuck to our shooters very well," Stone said. "They pushed us way out, and I think the back-breaker was Jordan Wilson's high-low pass into Danielle Ward over the top that might have been the key shot in the game."

Ward scored 10 points, all in the second half, and was one of four players in double figures for the Badgers.

"I thought we did a good job boxing them out and giving them one shot in the first half, which we know is one of their strengths," Borton said. "We knew that they were going to come out and go even harder at the boards. I thought they did a good job going at some of the things that maybe we're not real good at defensively. This is a great win for their program, and they wanted it a little more than us."

The Badgers finished the game shooting 48 percent from the field while limiting the Gophers to just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc in the second half, after they hit 4-of-7 three-pointers in the first half.

"It's unbelievable, I mean, you can't explain it," Josephson said. "This is the first time we've ever beat Minnesota in our career, and we're just ecstatic."

Wisconsin beat Minnesota in just about every statistical category and committed a season-low eight turnovers in the win.

With just one conference game to go, the Badgers are a half game behind Illinois and Penn State for seventh place in the Big Ten, leading up to the seeding for the conference tournament. "We're playing good basketball right now. What confidence, composure and great chemistry do for you is immeasurable," Stone said. "That was a big win. I can't say enough about our senior class. This is the first time they beat Minnesota, and it was the first time they beat Penn State, and we're planning on taking it at Purdue next week."