While their teams were busy on the floor, they exchanged long stares on the sidelines.

Coaches Rene Portland of Penn State and Nancy Darsch of Ohio State run two of the nation's most respected women's basketball programs. Their teams, however, showed little respect for each other as the Lady Lions defeated the Buckeyes, 96-74 in a physical contest at Rec Hall Friday night.

"It's a shame when programs are that good," Portland said of the game's violent nature. "One of the officials actually said to me, 'After this game, I feel like I should get my wrestling certification.' "

The 47 fouls whistled on the two teams were enough to drag the game out for two full hours. With four minutes, 37 seconds remaining, Darsch barked at the referees as Lady Lion junior guard Katina Mack sprained her ankle on a missed shot. While Mack was sprawled on the floor, Darsch argued for an offensive foul to be called.

"I'm very concerned about the safety of players on both teams," Portland said. "And that's why I kept going after our kids to stay under control and play the game. I feel that our kids and our program was not part of the problem, if there was a problem."

Although neither coach considered the physicality to be a problem, both coaches addressed the issue. When asked if it was a carryover from Penn State's victory at St. John's Arena, Portland deflected the question to Darsch.

"I was proud of our kids. I thought they fought hard. I don't want them to back away from anybody," Darsch said. "That's about what we expect on the road in the Big Ten and that's what we expect in coming in here, that it's going to be a very physical game."