With his team struggling and lacking confidence, Coach Bruce Parkhill inserted two freshmen into the starting lineup for last Thursday's Atlantic 10 matchup with Massachusetts. The move paid big dividends as the Nittany Lions trounced the Minutemen and, on Saturday, traveled to Philadelphia and handed St. Joe's a 78-67 setback.

At 8:10 tonight in Rec Hall, after the women's basketball team's 6 p.m. game against Atlantic 10 opponent Massachusetts, the Lions host George Washington, a somewhat enigmatic team which had been expected to improve upon its seventh-place conference finish last season. The Colonials are 0-10 on the year and 0-3 in the A-10.

"I really thought that going into the year they would be a team hoping they could make a big move in the league and I think they've been snake-bitten, really," Parkhill said. "I know they're well-coached and they have good players. We're very wary of GW. I know they have some wins in them."

The Lions themselves were snake-bitten just a couple weeks ago, losing three straight and in desperate need of a confidence boost. So Parkhill gambled and replaced senior guards Brian Allen and Christian Appleman with promising freshmen Freddie Barnes and Monroe Brown.

"We're happy with the way things have been going the last couple of games," Parkhill said. "By that I also mean, we're happy with the way Christian and Brian have been playing. I think I said when I changed the lineup, if there were two people I didn't have to worry about, it was Christian and Brian, just because of the caliber of people they are. They're just the tops."

True to Parkhill's word, the two seniors have taken the change in stride. Both still see considerable playing time and are more concerned with team success than individual glory.

"I knew it was coming," said Allen, whose field goal shooting had slumped to 30 percent. "It's just one of those things you've got to deal with. If you're going to be successful, you're not going to be petty about it. I just want to do well as a team. And, we're not going to be here next year, so it's a great experience for them."

Appleman, whose strongest attributes are defense and ball-handling, understands the reasoning behind Parkhill's decision.

"It's tough, like a demotion," the point guard said. "But this is a team game and we're all in this together. When you're struggling, you have to find some kind of remedy, you have to find chemistry, and I think that's what Coach is looking for."

As far as Barnes and Brown go, the pair is handling the pressure of starting rather well. In two games, they've combined for 34 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists.

"I really feel good about it," Brown said. "It reminds me of my high school games, getting back in the starting lineup."

His ability to push the ball up the court -- one of the reasons Parkhill decided to go with Barnes at the point position -- is a skill the 6-0 Barnes honed at Dudley High School in Greensboro, N.C.

"I feel very comfortable with (an up-tempo game)," Barnes said. "We did that primarily in high school and that's how we scored a lot of our points."

Another freshman getting significant playing time is Dave Degitz, who replaces center Ed Fogell and forward Bruce Blake. Degitz averages 6.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in just over 14 minutes per game.

"I'm real happy with the three kids," Parkhill said. "I think all three of them are doing a real good job. Obviously there are times when they make mistakes that all freshmen do that you just have to live with. But from what I've seen of these guys thus far they're really going to be real good Division I players."