There was a bit of envy in the voice of Virginia Tech coach Beth Dunkenberger as she analyzed the play of the Wisconsin Badgers against her team Thursday night at the Kohl Center.

What she saw in the Badgers' play was the kind of defensive intensity and consistency that was missing in the Hokies' play. From that standpoint, the Badgers' 61-52 victory in their Big Ten/ACC Challenge game was all too predictable.

"I thought Wisconsin gave a good effort for 40 minutes tonight," said Dunkeberger. "I thought we probably had about a good 20 minutes.

"I thought that we were really out of sorts in the shoot-around today, and I thought we started off the game in the same fashion. We just weren't playing hard on the defensive end. We had a lot of miscommunication and a lack of effort."

The Badgers, in her eyes, were everything her team wasn't.

"I thought they were very fundamentally sound, very solid and they played hard," said Dunkenberger. "They locked down the paint defensively - I think we had two points in the paint at the half. Really, they just didn't make mistakes and they played hard. When you do those two things on the defensive end, good things happen."

Wisconsin coach Lisa Stone couldn't have said it better. And she's been saying it since even before the season started.

These days, the Badgers - who just a few short weeks ago were dismissed out of hand by most observers - are the envy of many in Big Ten women's basketball circles. The Badgers (7-1) are riding a seven-game winning streak - the longest since their 15-game streak in the 2001-02 season.

Adding to Wisconsin's growing stature is the fact that through the first eight games it is one of just two Big Ten teams to defeat its ACC Challenger, joining Minnesota. The Big Ten's "Big Three" of Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue lost their contests against ACC powers, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Maryland, respectively.

Having instilled an underdog mentality in her team this season, Stone clearly took satisfaction in another victory over a respectable opponent from a power conference.

"It's a big one for our team," said Stone. "In my opinion, another statement game for our program. We've played some tough teams out of some very tough conferences. To be one of the only teams to survive the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on the women's side, I'm very proud of our players."

Adding to that sense of pride is the Badgers' continuing evolution into a tough, defensive-minded team. And it didn't hurt that they also flashed some offense in the early going.

The Badgers, behind the hot shooting of Alyssa Karel, raced out to a 27-9 lead midway through the first half. Wisconsin hit nine of its first 14 field goal attempts, while Virginia Tech made just three of its first 12 shots.

"We kept digging ourselves in a hole," said Dunkenberger. "We started off the game behind and when we turned it up a notch on defense, we were able to get back into the game."

Junior guard Lindsay Biggs, who finished with a career-high 22 points, scored the Hokies last 12 points of the half to help them narrow the gap to 36-27 at halftime.

The Hokies (5-2) got within six points, 40-34, five minutes into the second half. But Lin Zastrow hit a 3-pointer to ignite a 10-0 run to stretch the lead back to 50-34, with Karel finishing the run with a 3-pointer. Karel was the only Wisconsin player to finish in double figures with 14 points.

Biggs, unstoppable late in the first half, was held scoreless for the first 15 minutes of the second half, thanks largely to the defensive effort of Teah Gant.

Gant's strategy was simple: "Just basically lock her up and stay in her shorts and make her put the ball on the floor because I know my teammates are there for the help," she said.

While Gant was holding Biggs in check, Stone was pleased with the team defense. Her only gripe was the nine second-chance points the Hokies scored on offensive rebounds in the second half.

"I think it was everybody," she said. "I thought we did a decent job getting through screens. We chased, we were in the pack … we were playing our system. If we can add the one-and-done mentality to it, it's really going to help.

"Our identity is starting to become true - that when we play defense like that we're going to put ourselves in position to be in every single game. Our players are believing in that."

The Badgers will attempt to add to the list of believers on Sunday when they meet  Northern Illinois at 1:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center.