The euphoria of winning the Atlantic 10 championship was dampened yesterday when the women's basketball team learned it will not play at home in the first round of the NCAA tournament because of a scheduling conflict with the NIT-bound men's team.

Penn State, seeded seventh in the East Region, should have hosted 10th-seeded Florida State. Instead, the Lady Lions (24-6) travel south to face the unranked Lady Seminoles (21-8) Wednesday night in Tallahassee.

The problem arose because both the NCAA women's tournament and the NIT men's tournament have first-round games Wednesday. With that knowledge, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics decided to secure Rec Hall for NIT play instead of NCAA.

"I still value the four-letter tournament that I'm going to and I question which one has more value -- the four-letter one or the three-letter," women's coach Rene Portland said. "I have to believe that the NCAA has more value in any sport."

But men's coach Bruce Parkhill downplayed any controversy over the decision.

"I don't think there is any decision there; I don't see what the big deal is," Parkhill said. "What other school in the country is going to make that a big deal?"

Portland believes that Penn State, not the NCAA, made the decision for the Lady Lions to go to Tallahassee. She said Penn State told the NCAA Rec Hall was booked that night, with the prospect of the men playing a first-round NIT game there.

Late last night the men's team (21-8) learned it will host Marquette (15-13) at 7:30 Wednesday night. The game will be televised by ESPN.

"I don't think it's fair, my team doesn't think it's fair and to be real honest, every female athlete in Penn State should be insulted by that decision," Portland said.

Portland said she learned about the decision last week before the Atlantic 10 Tournament, but Athletic Director Jim Tarman said the decision to bid for a home NIT game was made by Feb. 23.

"Every year, the NIT asks every school in the middle of February if your facility is going to be available," Tarman said. "It's just a matter of timing."

Associate Athletic Director Ellen Perry said the decision for the men to host an NIT game was made with full knowledge that the women's team would never host a first-round NCAA game.

Later, in a prepared statement, Tarman said one of the main factors was attendance. The average home crowd for the men's team this year was more than 5,000, while the women's team drew close to 2,000.

The athletic department, which believed last season's home NIT game against Murray State was successful, expects a larger crowd, and consequently more revenue, for a men's game than a women's game.

"We try very hard to treat them equally," said Steve Garban, senior vice president of financial operations. "But the press is more interested with men's programs. They get more attention on TV and that is part of it."

"I guess what they are looking at it is revenue," forward Susan Robinson said. "I think that's out of our control."

After Saturday night's 84-60 victory against top-seeded and No. 23 St. Joseph's for the tournament championship, the Lady Lions assumed they would host a first-round game.

"I thought we were (going to get a home game)," forward Lynn Dougherty said. "Since we won, it was kind of on everybody's mind."

The decision to host a NIT game was made although the Lions could have made the NCAA men's field. If that would have occurred, Penn State would not have played at home.

Also, the Lions were never assured a home game in the NIT when the decision was made. There was a possibility that no one would play in Rec Hall on Wednesday.

"The facility (could have been) empty and that's the chance Penn State was willing to take with my program," Portland said.