IOWA CITY, Iowa -- There were so many moments when it appeared Jolene Anderson would find a way.

Despite the hard ball denials. Despite the fact that nearly all of her teammates were struggling to score. And despite the fact that all 4,865 in attendance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena knew she was getting the ball on every possession.

In the end, though, about the only thing Anderson couldn't do Sunday was deliver a much-needed win for the University of Wisconsin women's basketball team.

Instead — despite Anderson's career-best 42 points, which moved her 12 points past Barb Franke's previous school record of 1,994 — the Badgers couldn't finish off a late comeback in falling 78-74 in overtime to Iowa in a Big Ten Conference game.

Anderson's total was the second-best, single-game performance in program history — Keisha Anderson had 45 against UC Santa Barbara in 1996 — and tied the arena record.

So instead of being a day of celebration of the senior guard's feats, it ended as another anguished night for UW (8-7 overall, 1-4 Big Ten), which remained in 10th place in the league standings.

"It's OK right now," said Anderson, who surpassed Franke with a free throw after squeezing between two Hawkeyes and drawing a foul with 1 minute, 24 seconds left in regulation. "It would have been better if we would have won. But … the focus is over with, it's done with."

Her two free throws — Anderson didn't miss any of her 13 to tie another program single-game mark — brought the Badgers to within 65-62. And after an Iowa (10-7, 3-3) shot clock violation, Anderson drew another foul and converted both shots to cut the deficit to one.

An offensive foul on JoAnn Hamlin offered UW a chance to hit a winner, but sophomore guard Teah Gant's handoff attempt for Anderson went awry, and Gant had to foul Hawkeyes freshman guard Kachine Alexander with 11 seconds left.

Alexander missed her second free throw, and — who else? — Anderson took a pass near halfcourt, cut through the Iowa defense and converted a running layup to send the game to overtime.

"When we put (ourselves) in position to go into overtime," said Anderson, who scored 19 points in the second half to help the Badgers erase a three-point halftime deficit, "I thought the game was ours."

It sure looked like it was when Anderson scored on UW's first two possessions in the extra session to give the Badgers a 70-66 lead.

On the next one, though, Alexander — who, along with senior guard Jenee Graham, defended Anderson down the stretch — drew a charge on Anderson, and the Hawkeyes scored the next five points to take the lead.

"I watched her on TV when I was in high school and I knew she was really, really good," Alexander said. "So that challenge for me was just 'Stop her as much as you possibly can. Rely on your teammates for help defense if you need it.' "

Two more free throws by Anderson gave UW a 72-71 advantage with 1:19 remaining in OT, but it was the last time the Badgers held a lead. Alexander's 3-point play with 19 seconds left sealed the win for Iowa.

"It just was a well-fought game, a well-played game," said UW coach Lisa Stone, whose team didn't have another player other than Anderson in double figures — and no other starter with more than four points. "Probably (to) a spectator, a fun-filled game. On the other hand, for us, it's one (where) you want to come away with a win in this one."