MADISON - Luck is the only word to describe it.

And the Michigan women's basketball team found it in the form of a 40-foot 3-pointer by sophomore Krista Phillips.

The basket forced overtime for the Wolverines (4-2 Big Ten, 11-5 overall), who eventually edged Wisconsin, 79-73. Michigan is now tied for second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State.

"Our team was a bit deflated," Wisconsin coach Lisa Stone said. "(That shot) kind of breaks your heart."

Just seconds earlier, with the score tied at 65, the Badgers (1-5, 8-8) were poised to win. Wisconsin guard Rae Lin D'Alie drained a 3-pointer with seven seconds left.

But after two consecutive Michigan timeouts, the Wolverines stole the momentum right back.

Phillips received an inbound pass and immediately pulled the trigger on a straight-away shot midway between the three-point arc and halfcourt. The Wolverines and the crowd were astounded when the shot fell.

At 6-foot-6, Phillips was an unlikely candidate to take the shot. But the sophomore, who had 15 points and seven rebounds, was confident enough to put the game on the line for Michigan.

"Like coach said, it wasn't designed for me," Phillips said. "But I got lucky."

The Badgers were demoralized heading into overtime, and Michigan capitalized with a seven-point run.

Junior Carly Benson nailed a three to give Michigan a quick lead. A Janelle Cooper layup and a Jessica Minnfield mid-range jumper widened the margin.

The Badgers kept the game alive with a clutch 3-pointer by Jolene Anderson, who shredded the Wolverine defense like she has against the rest of the Big Ten. She dropped 30 last night.

But it was all for nothing as the Wolverines hung on, sinking their game-ending free throws.

The win for Michigan seemed almost impossible earlier in the game. At one point in the second half, the Wolverines dug themselves an 11-point hole. But senior Janelle Cooper kept Michigan in the game with two baskets near the end of regulation. More importantly, she settled down the offense, which looked rushed in the middle of the second half.

Phillips, who sat for much of the second frame with foul trouble, proved to be the difference, getting easy buckets down low and chipping away at the Wisconsin lead. With less than three minutes remaining, Michigan held a 64-61 lead.

"Out on the floor, we huddled up together," Cooper said. "We would always say, 'It's only six points, it's only five points. Let's go and get some stops.' "

The Wolverines had trouble putting the Badgers away, missing some clutch free throws that would have ended the game, but Phillips' shot breathed new life into the team and rendered those late-game struggles irrelevant.

Michigan was lucky Phillips did not pick up her fifth foul. Without her, they wouldn't have been lucky enough to win.

MICHIGAN 79, WISCONSIN 73 (OT)