AUSTIN, Texas -- The sound of giants falling all around them didn't seem to bother the Lady Lions in their Midwest Regional semifinal game last night.

At least not for the last 12.5

On a night where the likes of Tennessee and Vanderbilt fell, center Missy Masley hit two late free throws to keep Penn State's Final Four hopes alive, giving the Lady Lions a 64-60 victory over Seton Hall at the Erwin Center.

The Lady Lions will play Alabama, which beat Texas Tech last night in the other semifinal, tomorrow at 9 p.m. EST.

Masley's free throws finally put away what was an otherwise unsightly effort by the Lady Lions, at least offensively.

The first half saw Penn State shoot an abysmal 29 percent (10-for-35) from the floor and only 60 percent from the free throw line. When the first stanza came to a close, no Lady Lion had totaled more than five points.

"At halftime I felt fortunate to be tied," Penn State Coach Rene Portland said. "It was going to be a matter of us doing a better job than we had done. I told them we had to do a better job and quit being timid."

Such an ineffective offense might mean certain death, especially in a tournament game, but Penn State's pressure defense kept it in the contest. The Lady Lions forced 10 turnovers in the first half, including seven steals, and held the Pirates to 32 percent shooting (9-of-28).

The most glaring sign of the Pirates' offensive struggles was the statline Jodi Brooks. The 5-foot-8 senior guard, who averaged 28 points in Seton Hall's first two tournament wins, had only two points at the intermission.

"I think in the first half when they were playing good defense I was trying to dish it off a lot," said Brooks, who finished with 18 points. "I should have been more aggressive in the first half."

Coming out of the locker room knotted at 25, both squads found their shot in the second half. Penn State hit 47 percent and Seton Hall 44 percent from the field in the last 20 minutes.

Just as in the first half, the second stayed close all the way. Penn State opened with an 8-2 run to take a 33-27 lead with 17:07 remaining, but the Pirates came back strong and built a 54-51 lead with 5:43 left.

A Katina Mack layup with 4:09 on the clock made it 56-all, and two minutes later Penn State was up 62-58. Pirate freshman forward Dana Wynnes' layup made it 62-60 with 1:15 left, until Masley drained both ends of a one-on-one to ice the game.

Mack, who along with senior forward Helen Holloway finished with a team-high 14 points, said their first half struggles gave the Lady Lions a wake-up call, which carried through the second half.

"We realized at halftime we had to pick it up," Mack said. "We talked about stepping up the tempo. We stuck together, gutted it out and took care of the little things."

Note:

-- Should the Lady Lions win tomorrow's game, tickets for the women's basketball Final Four will go on sale Sunday. Because of a limited number of available seats, Penn State Ticket Director Bud Meredith said a lottery will be conducted for season ticket holders and Penn State students. Students may apply for the lottery from 8 to 10 a.m. on Sunday at the Rec Hall ticket office.

Meredith said ticket prices are $40 for the three games at the Richmond, Va., Coliseum and there are no split ticket sales. Students are limited to one ticket and ID is required.

Those selected in the lottery will be notified on Tuesday. The national semifinals are April 2 and the final is April 3.