Coach Rene Portland usually doesn't have company when she screams at basketball games. But when co-captain Helen Holloway suffered a severe laceration between two fingers on her left hand last Friday, breaking out her vocal cords was about all she could do.

"It kills me having to sit on the bench," Holloway said. "I think I did more screaming than Rene did (at Indiana)."

Whether the senior forward will be screaming when the No. 2 Lady Lions (19-1, 10-1 in the Big Ten) meet unranked Michigan State (10-9, 5-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Rec Hall remains to be seen. Holloway started shooting again on Wednesday, but as of yesterday, she still couldn't catch the ball.

Sunday marks the first and only time the two clubs meet in the regular season. For Portland, playing any conference team just once is not favorable.

"Why couldn't it be Iowa? Purdue only plays Iowa once," she laughed. "It is a little strange because by this time we're seeing somebody the second time around."

Penn State Assistant Coach Susan Robinson, who scouted the Spartans, said Kisha Kelley is the biggest threat. Robinson linked the junior forward's style to Iowa's Necole Tunsil, who had 28 points against the Lady Lions earlier this season.

"That type of player likes to score off penetration -- very quick, very athletic," Robinson said, adding that the Spartan offense offered nothing the Lady Lions weren't used to.

In her last four games, Kelley has averaged 29.3 points and shot over 50 percent from the field. Junior forward Tanya Place and junior guard Chris Powers are the other players to watch. The two have been averaging 11.3 and 10.6 points, respectively.

"They do like to run," Robinson said. "We can't let those three get on track."

Michigan State Coach Karen Langeland said her team is playing a little bit better than earlier in the season.

"We're getting more points out of more players," she said. "Penn State, obviously, has the quality of players and depth. I think our strength may be our chemistry."

Both clubs have only conference games remaining, and with less than a month in the regular season, the Spartans are fighting to get enough wins to make the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State is in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten, while Penn State and Purdue are tied for the lead. The No. 9 Boilermakers face No. 11 Iowa tonight. Portland said the teams in the middle of the standings are always dangerous.

"They're stuck there and trying very hard to get out," she said. "Defensively, (Michigan State) has been shutting people down."

Note:

-- Portland said freshman forward Toya Crumpton could see some time on Sunday. Crumpton, who has been having a variety of health problems, has been "cleared in everything we were worried about," Portland said.