With 52 seconds remaining in the women's basketball game, the crowd began to cheer wildly as Jenny Kretchmar stepped to the line to shoot free throws. Not because the game was on the line, but because if she sank just one, the entire team would have scored.

After missing the first, Kretchmar swished the second and the 24th- ranked Lady Lions (10-2) gave new meaning to the word "balance" with a resounding 96-52 win over George Washington Saturday night at Rec Hall.

The combination of all 13 players scoring and the execution of a stifling defensive game plan allowed Penn State to collect its eighth straight victory and raise its Atlantic 10 record to 4-0. The Lady Colonials dropped to 3-2 in the conference and 8-4 overall.

A determined defensive effort at the start of the second half allowed George Washington only three points in the first 10:10 and Penn State to increase its lead from 13 points to 31. In that half, the Lady Colonials only made five field goals and shot 20 percent.

"We studied their offenses, but a lot of their sets were 'just run a concept,' " Susan Robinson said. "They would just try to read the defense and go from there; they didn't really have any set plays. So we were prepared to play one-and-one defense. I think it showed in the second half."

During that run, only one shot was taken from the outside as Penn State used its height advantage to completely dominate. Kathy Phillips scored 16 points while Robinson added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Co- captain Adrie DeVries also tallied a game-high 10 rebounds.

George Washington coach Joe McKeown said in that span of time, shots that normally dropped for his players just couldn't find the net. Freshman sensation Jennifer Shasky, with three A-10 Freshman-of-the-Week honors already, went 0-9 from the floor and only scored two points. Also, scoring and inspirational leader Karin Vadelund played only two minutes due to a shoulder injury.

"It seemed like we couldn't get a good shot. When we did get the ball inside a couple times we couldn't convert," McKeown said. "Jennifer was missing open shots that she normally knocks down. Ann Riley couldn't get the ball to drop. One of the reasons we were 8-3 coming into the game was we've shot the ball pretty well from the outside all year. You just can't come out and play flat when you're down by 13."

Penn State coach Rene Portland said the motivation for the run at the start of the second half came from a letdown at the end of the first. A 20-point lead was cut to just 10 near the end of the half, behind the play of Riley, Kristin McArdle and Mary K. Nordling.

Yet just when it seemed that the game would be a repeat of Monday's game with Temple, in which the Lady Lions couldn't put away the opposition, Terri Williams connected on three of her reserve-high 11 points at the halftime buzzer to up the lead to 13.

"I think it nailed them a little," Williams said. "So when they came back in the second half it kind of turned them away."

Penn State opened the game with a 19-2 run and stretched it to 26- 6 midway through the first half before the Lady Colonials started to whittle the score down. Portland said part of the reason George Washington came out cold was their "reception" at Rec Hall.

"He (McKeown) even made a comment before the game started that with the band and cheerleaders here, this is his first exposure to Eastern basketball. I think he was taken a little bit out by the scene which fortunately we have at Penn State," she said.

Notes: Before the game, the Lady Lions honored the parents of their whole staff, from team managers to players to coaches . . . At 7:30 tonight, the Lady Lions will play the fourth game of a current five- game home stand against Rhode Island (1-11).