With about six minutes left in last night's women's basketball game, Dawn Chambers was driving to the basket when suddenly just as she was to put up a shot, she was bowled over by a Rhode Island defender.

Down she went, yet as the crowd screamed for a foul, Chambers got up and set up for the next play. Moments later she got her revenge by swishing an 18-footer from the left corner to increase the Lady Lions' lead to 76-44. Providing the spark in both halves, Chambers scored nine points, dished out a game-high seven assists and added five steals in a convincing 92-51 win over Rhode Island.

Chambers play helped to provide life to the Lady Lions' offense which had been struggling all night. She scored all of her points in a three- minute 30-second span in the second half, to extend a 10-15 point lead into the mid-thirties.

"That's the role of a bench player," Chambers said. "You have to be ready to come in. They were sagging off big time (and) I felt good so I pulled up for the open shot."

As has become habit in recent games, one Penn State player will come out and guide the team to victory. Rhode Island coach Linda Ziemke said that player's performance again was the difference in the game.

"(Chambers play) was the key factor," Ziemke said. "There is always a new wave."

Ziemke added that the only team she has seen that can compare to Penn State is Purdue, ranked No. 7 in the country. She said the reason the Lady Lions will go far this year is one reason -- quality depth.

For Chambers it was a chance for her to illustrate that depth. The senior from Colby, Kan., has played backup for point guard Dana Eikenberg all season, only averaging a little under nine minutes playing per game. Yet with point production sputtering, she was given 20 minutes to work the offense.

With Rhode Island displaying a 1-3-1 zone defense, Chambers said the opportunity provided for a lot of skip passes. She praised her teammates for getting into the open area, which she in turn found for several of her assists.

"We needed a spark and Dawn provided it," center Kathy Phillips said. "She ran things right. She played a major part in the second half and came in the first half and sparked us as well."

The chance to lead the offense is something that Chambers has not been able to do much since she came to Penn State as a graduate of Colby Community College in her hometown at the start of last season. She started four games and hit for a career-high 15 points against Prairie View A&M at the Red Raider Classic.

But her season was cut short last Jan. 30 as she injured her knee at practice. She sat out the rest of the season. Chambers still wears a knee brace for extra protection, yet she said it is almost healed completely. It showed last night.

"Chambers did a real nice job for us," Coach Rene Portland said."When a player gets on a flow we're going to let them ride it out. She played with intensity and was getting steals. She did her best and rose to the occasion."

An added bonus for Chambers was the presence of both her parents in the stands. Her dad flew out for the Duquesne game on Jan. 4, and her mother came for last Saturday's parent's night. To Chambers, it was just another game, but she was pleased with the added support in the stands. They both leave tomorrow.

"I want to go out every game and have a game like this," Chambers said. "But it was certainly nice."