It's time once again for the Dale Hodges spectacular.

Two weeks ago, Hodges almost single-handedly defeated the women's basketball team in St. Joseph's 73-61 victory. Now, the location has changed, but the circumstances haven't. At 7:30 tomorrow night in Rec Hall, the Lady Lions will try to stop Hodges and the Lady Hawks in a battle for first place in the Atlantic 10.

"If I didn't gear my offense around her, you'd have to give me a saliva test," St. Joe's coach Jim Foster said. "When Dale puts us on her shoulders, we're happy to ride them."

All season long, Hodges has scorched opponents for close to 26 points and 12 rebounds per game, all while leading the team in steals and blocks.

She is one of the main reasons the Lady Hawks (21-4) are ranked No. 21 in the nation and lead the A-10 with a 14-1 record. Penn State, fresh off its 82-80 triumph against Rutgers on Monday, is 19-5 and 13-2.

Only four times this season has another player led St. Joe's in scoring -- Ellen Shields did it three times and Rita Balaban once, in Wednesday night's win against Penn. Still, Foster insists his team is not strictly a one-woman-show.

"We never know who's going to step forward," he said. "I just know someone will be there."

After Hodges' 34-point, 19-rebound effort against Penn State on Feb. 10, the Lady Lions know who they must key on. But in that game, center Kathy Phillips held Hodges to only 10 points before she fouled out.

Coach Rene Portland said her reserves will have to come in and contribute if Penn State is to contain Hodges and the rest of the high-flying Lady Hawks.

"The (bench play) killed us; they didn't come on the trip to Philadelphia. That hurt us because we felt the difference between our team and everyone else would be that," Portland said. "(But) we're ready to take on any challenge -- I didn't see these kids back away from Rutgers."

Portland added that preventing turnovers is also important for the Lady Lions' success tomorrow. At St. Joe's, the team committed 19 turnovers, including three in the open-court after the score was tied at 45. Consequently, the Lady Hawks broke open a close game.

The weekend after spring break, the A-10 Tournament will come to Rec Hall. With all of the teams tussling for a higher seeding, this game will go a long way in determining who's No. 1.

"We need to protect home-base (Rec Hall)," Portland said. "It's tough to win on the road and we didn't do that at St. Joseph's. We need to pick up this game; it's very important. Conference-standing wise, this is a must."

Notes: Hodges is the A-10's leading scorer, with forward Susan Robinson checking in at No. 2 . . . A win against St. Joe's would give Penn State its best-ever home record (12-0). The 1987 team won all 11 of its home contests.