Forget that the women's basketball team won its first Atlantic 10 championship since 1986. Forget the celebration after defeating rival St. Joseph's. All that would not have happened if it weren't for Tanya Garner.

The fate of the Lady Lions seemed unhappily sealed last Friday night when Rutgers forward Vicky Picott scored on a layup with just five seconds remaining in an A-10 semifinal. Rutgers led, 74-72. Penn State called a timeout.

Coach Rene Portland called a set play for Garner that had worked all game, in the hopes that it would work one more time.

After getting a great pick from Susan Robinson, Garner got the ball and started to frantically dribble down the court as the time ticked off. Garner was at halfcourt with two seconds left as she approached the 3-point line. She jumped up in the air and launched the shot as the buzzer sounded.

It was all net and the Lady Lions were in the finals.

"She is on a mission for a lot of good reasons," Portland said after the game. "(Vicky) Green was right in her face when she was driving down the court."

"The runner shot is something that I work on and I prayed to God that it went in," Garner said.

With 59 seconds left in the game, Garner had dropped a crucial trey that cut the Rutgers lead to two. After a Robinson tip-in the stage was set for Garner's last-second heroics.

"Garner hit that critical three, she just seemed to be unconscious," Rutgers coach Theresa Grentz said.

If that weren't enough Garner also put on a show in the finals against St. Joe's.

Garner had to guard Lady Hawk 3-point artist Ellen Shields. In the Lady Hawks' 87-66 semifinal victory against West Virginia, Shields hit 7-of-9 shots, including 5-of-6 treys for 19 points. Any hopes of duplicating this performance against Garner were soon dashed.

Garner hounded Shields all game, limiting her to only five shots and four points.

"(Garner's performance) would certainly have to be one of (the keys to Shields' limited production)," St. Joe's coach Jim Foster said.

"That was a major league key," Portland said. "Tanya just shut her (Shields) down."

On the offensive end, Garner once again could not be stopped. She scored 15 points, many of them on driving layups, had four assists and two steals. On the set-play which worked all weekend long, Garner's four teammates lined up on the baseline while she worked her one-on-one artistry. No one could stop her all weekend, whether she pulled up for a 3-pointer or drove to the hole, spun and laid it in.

"She seemed like she was on a mission," St. Joe's star Dale Hodges said. "We knew she was going to the hoop and nobody could stop her."

And as the Lady Lions were looking to put the final nail in St. Joe's championship hopes, they went to Garner.

"I looked down at the bench when we were up by 11, and you could see something happening, then you knew, 'Tanya go for the jugular,' " Portland said.

As the final seconds ticked off, the Lady Lions had the championship trophy, and nobody enjoyed it more than Garner. After the awards ceremony, Garner got a hoist from her teammates and, after much struggle, was found sitting on the rim. She then cut down the links of the net, dropping them to the anxious hands of her teammates.

Garner's weekend performance really was expected from a player of her caliber. Throughout her junior year, she has received much praise from opposing coaches and players for both her defensive and offensive prowess.

This praise is rightly deserved for the 5'7" guard from West Mifflin, Pa. She is averaging 14.8 points per game this season and has led the team in steals (56) and was second in assists (117).

Garner also led the Lady Lions in scoring eight times, including a high of 26 points against St. Bonaventure. Against NCAA-bound Ohio State she scored 25 points. Garner has hit 94 treys in her collegiate career, a school record, and passed the 1,000-poin scoring barrier this season. Entering tonight's game at Florida State she has netted 1,091.

All of this with still another year left. But if the Lady Lions are to continue on in the NCAA they are going to have to need more, much more, of the same from Garner. Because if the Lady Lions defeat Florida State, they could face possible matchups against No. 13 Virginia, No. 20 Providence and, a little latter, down the road No. 3 Tennessee.