Last year at this time, the bench of the women's basketball team was a tenative, unprepared group that scored only four points in a 73-71 loss to James Madison.

On Saturday, this new and improved group of reserves played with confidence as it scored 25 points en route to a 77-54 win over DePaul and the Lady Lions' first trip to the NCAA Regionals since 1986.

Coach Rene Portland said that the bench provided quality minutes and gave it as much credit for the victory as Susan Robinson's game-high 26 points.

"I think they're the reason we haven't gone farther in the tournament," Portland said. "They weren't a key role in the past and they are a must for us. I hope they understand how important they are to this team and if they keep themselves focused they can really take us far."

DePaul Coach Doug Bruno agreed with Portland and knew coming in that the Penn State bench would prevent the Blue Demons from being able to focus on any one player --or starter.

"There isn't a reserve on the Penn State team that does not produce," Bruno said. "They don't produce to the same extent that the starters do, but they produce more than many starters on other basketball teams -- even though they're down in the minutes."

But when those players got their minutes, there was no one in better control of the contest.

Leading the charge off the pine was Jackie Donovan, who didn't even get into the JMU game. Donovan made her earliest entrance this season at 16:44 of the first half. She responded with a career-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, five rebounds and three steals.

While Portland always shows confidence in her reserves, Donovan began the season unsure of herself and the role she would play. But as the leader of Penn State's pressing team, the sophomore has improved steadily over the last few months and believes that Portland's faith in her has helped.

"She's put me in and kept me in in tough situations and she's kept the confidence in the rest of the team," Donovan said.

Donovan knew that the main criticism by Portland after last year's JMU loss was that the bench just didn't come to play. That loss has been in the back of the team's head all season and the reserves knew that their play was pivotal if the Lady Lions (24-6) were to be successful.

"We just know that when (Portland) gives us a chance that we want to show her that we can play so she can give us more chances, hopefully," Donovan said. "I think the bench, as a whole, has a lot more confidence."

This bench self-esteem was missing in the JMU game and point guard Dana Eikenberg could see there was a complete turnaround in its performance. When asked what she saw in the group this game as opposed to last year's, she boiled it down to one aspect.

"Their aggression," Eikenberg said. "Katina (Mack), Jackie and Helen (Holloway) did a phenomenal job. Rebounding, agression --they got in the flow and knew what they were doing and everything just clicked."

Mack played 17 minutes against DePaul because guard Carla Coleman needed to rest a hamstring pull suffered during Friday's practice. She finished the game with five points, two rebounds, two assists and moves to the hoop that got the whole crowd cheering.

Holloway scored seven points and pulled down three of the bench's 12 boards. Jenny Kretchmar also got substantial time and ran the floor well as Eikenberg was pulled out of the game midway through the first half due to foul trouble.

While Mack, a freshman, has worked extra hard in practice on both shooting and conditioning she also works on the art of being a reserve. That process includes finding ways to get more playing time.

"Me and Helen will be sitting on the bench and Rene will come walking down and she'll bend down right in front of us," Mack said. "That's when you really get into it and start yelling, 'Come on State.' You get up a little bit and start clapping."