George Washington came close to defeating the women's basketball team last Thursday. With stars Karin Vadelund and Jennifer Shasky hitting from the outside and the team's defensive press causing problems, it almost pulled off the upset.

The Lady Colonials lost, 75-66, and will try to make that wrong a right at 7:30 tonight in Rec Hall in an Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinal game against the Lady Lions.

The only problem is while the score was close, the Lady Lions have the advantage of defeating George Washington five consecutive times. To top that, Penn State is coming off a 73-66 loss at Rutgers which cost them the top seed in the tournament and a share of the conference title.

"We're coming off a loss and the only positive thing about that is you're mad enough to take your next hostage," Coach Rene Portland said. "If we don't win this game, there's not going to be a postseason tournament."

Penn State is seeded third in the tournament and George Washington is sixth. The winner advances to the conference Final Four to be played this weekend in Rec Hall against the Massachusetts-Rutgers winner. The motivation to face Rutgers again is there.

"The first eight to 10 minutes (against the Lady Knights) we didn't play basketball," Lynn Dougherty said. "But we got better as it went along."

"We played terrible," Susan Robinson added, "but we were still that close. It shows that if we play to our capabilities what we can really do."

Before the Lady Lions get to shoot at Rutgers again, there's the matter of facing George Washington. This season, the Lady Colonials have forged a 14-13 record, improving on last season's 9-19 mark. First-year coach Joe McKeown has used that press and the outside shooting of Vadelund (16.9 points per game) and Shasky (12).

Yet if the past holds true, Penn State is a solid favorite. Even though the game in Washington, D.C., was close, at Rec Hall on Jan. 13 the Lady Lions romped, 96-52 and handed the Lady Colonials their worst loss of the season.

In that game, Vadelund was out with a shoulder injury and Shasky was held scoreless. Also, McArdle was hampered with injuries. All have been playing well of late.

"The team is concerned about scoring," Portland said, "but defense is the way you win the game."

"It's more of a relaxed concerned," Robinson said. "If we go in and play (we should be all right). It's not like 'we have to win, we have to win.' It's our house. But the pressure is there because we don't want anyone to come in (take it)."

Notes: At home this season, Penn State has averaged 15 more points and four less turnovers per game than on the road. The Lady Lions are also shooting 50.7 percent from the field at home as opposed to 44.7 percent away . . . Robinson is just two free throws from tying Kahadeejah Herbert's school record of 28 in a row, set in 1983.