Insignificant.

A midseason visit to Ann Arbor was expected to be just that for the women's basketball team. An easy victory over a young, short-handed Michigan squad. Not much of a big deal with the likes of Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Iowa looming on the horizon.

Easy it was. Insignificant it wasn't.

As expected, the Lady Lions (13-0, 5-0 Big Ten) walloped the Wolverines (3-12, 0-6) at Crisler Arena yesterday, 97-53. This otherwise forgettable win can go down as the biggest of the year so far for Coach Rene Portland's squad, however, because it all but sealed up Penn State's status as the No. 1 team in the nation.

Thanks to losses last week by No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 Iowa, Penn State, No. 3 at press time and the only undefeated Division I team, should assume the top ranking when the Associated Press poll comes out at 6:30 a.m. today. It will be the first time the Lady Lions have sat atop the rankings since the end of the 1990-91 regular season.

"It feels good in January, but I'd like to know what it feels like in March," Portland said. "I'm happy for the kids. They did work really hard in a lot of really tough situations to stay undefeated."

The Lady Lions knew going into Ann Arbor that the top spot in the polls was theirs for the taking, but they didn't seem bothered by the extra pressure. After a slow start which saw the Wolves take a 8-5 lead, the Lady Lions erupted for a 25-2 run that gave them a 30-10 lead and left Michigan's depleted squad gasping for breath.

That streak helped give Penn State a 60-27 lead at the break, an advantage so large the Lady Lions could have been held scoreless in the second half and still won.

An odd couple of scorers -- juniors Katina Mack and Shelby Thayer, who posted 16 points apiece -- led Penn State. The numbers were expected from Mack, the team's leading scorer, but Thayer, a reserve for whom the 16 was a career high, was something of a surprise. Her 7-of-11 shooting, which included 2-of-3 from the three-point arc, keyed the Lady Lions and typified the help Portland got from her bench.

"I was very happy with Shelby," Portland said. "Her role on our team is to catch it and shoot, and she really did it. Her maturity is really showing."

While Mack and Thayer were putting up big points, sophomore point guard Tina Nicholson was running the floor with Magic-like precision. She dished out a career-high 13 assists while nabbing five steals and committing only one turnover.

An otherwise perfect day was nearly ruined with just over 11 minutes left in the game. Junior guard Carla Coleman, cutting into the key for a barely-contested layup, lost her balance and came down on her lower back. Coleman then lay prone for approximately 20 minutes while trainers and medical personal checked her for injuries before wheeling her off the court in a stretcher, her neck immobilized.

For Portland, who was forced to watch helplessly from courtside, the moments were frightening.

"It was quite a scare. She didn't move. She just laid there," Portland said. "The first time that they touched her leg and said, 'Carla, can you feel this?' she said no, and I said, 'Did you understand the question?' Like three, four minutes, (Coleman said) 'No.' Then all of a sudden it was like a tingling sensation and then she started to feel something. We're lucky."

Portland said Coleman has been diagnosed with a severe lower back strain, a painful injury which leaves her doubtful for tomorrow's game at Ohio State. Portland added that Coleman stayed in Ann Arbor at the team's hotel, but she'll rejoin the team today in Columbus.