Lady cagers rally for tourney win

By DAMIAN DOBROSIELSKI
Collegian Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS -- Even Women's Basketball Coach Rene Portland saw Penn State's hopes of a Big Ten crown slipping away.

With 6 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the second half, the Lady Lions trailed Ohio State by seven points in the championship game of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 6.

"There was even a time for me that I thought Ohio State would be sitting in these seats, smiling," Portland said after her team's 68-63 come-from-behind triumph over the Buckeyes. "They played a tremendous game."

But Penn State, the tournament's No. 1 seed, played better when it counted.

In the last five minutes of the game, the Lady Lions staged an impressive 11-2 run to win the conference's first tournament since 1982 in dramatic fashion. The win secured Portland's 350th Lady Lion triumph.

"We did a nice job for 35 minutes," Ohio State Coach Nancy Darsch said. "We just went back on our heels a little bit, and I think they were able to get some key offensive rebounds and get some easy shots."

For most of the game, it had been the Buckeyes who were getting the offensive rebounds and the easy shots.

In the first half, Ohio State outrebounded the Lady Lions 24-11 and subsequently led 36-30 at the intermission.

When play resumed in the second stanza, Darsch's squad continued to dominate the boards. Whenever Penn State cut into the lead, Ohio State would pull away again.

"We all watch the ESPN commercial where they tell you what March is all about -- about guts, heart and desire," Portland said. "I think Ohio State, even better than Penn State, showed that tonight."

The Buckeyes, the No. 7 seed, exhibited those qualities in getting to the championship game. Ohio State knocked off Illinois in the opening round, then upset No. 2 Purdue and No. 6 Michigan State before bowing out to a determined Penn State squad.

When asked to pick a sleeper before the tournament started, Darsch responded calmly, "Ohio State."

And true to their coach's prediction, the Buckeyes proved to be the tournament dark horse.

While Ohio State was disposing of its higher-seeded opponents, the Lady Lions were beating the teams they were supposed to beat.

In the quarterfinals, Penn State faced upset-minded Iowa. Despite a sluggish performance riddled with bad passes, missed layups and air balls, the Lady Lions squeaked by the Hawkeyes, 69-62.

"What Iowa did was get us ready to play," Portland said later. "Iowa woke us up. They gave us a message of what tournament play is all about."

In the semifinals against Indiana, Portland's team rolled to a 72-64 win. The Lady Lions never trailed in the game.

"It was a fun game to watch them play," Portland said. "At times, they were working on all cylinders."

But against the Buckeyes, Penn State didn't shift into high gear until the very end.

"It was intense," Ohio State do-it-all guard Katie Smith said. "We knew we were gonna be in for a battle. Everybody definitely wasn't gonna give any ground. They just came out with a few points more than us."

Ohio State was led by center Peggy Evans, who scored 21 points. Smith contributed 11 points of her own and six rebounds. Both players were named to the all-tournament team.

Penn State was led throughout the tournament by a trio of players. Post-players Missy Masley and Angie Potthoff scored 20 and 16 points, respectively, in the championship game, while point guard Tina Nicholson tallied 10 points and a game-high eight assists to help the Lady Lion cause.

Those efforts earned the trio spots on the all-tournament team and brought Masley the most valuable player honor.

Note:

-- The Lady Lions continue to be hampered by injuries as they head into the NCAA tournament this weekend.

Sophomore guard Tiffany Longworth is questionable for Friday's first-round game because of a spiral fracture she suffered in her right foot during the Big Ten finals.

The guard position was further decimated when freshman Jamie Parsons was admitted to the hospital on March 11 with a possible urinary tract or kidney infection.

Freshman center Stacey Hrivnak, who missed the tournament because of a concussion, is still not cleared to play, while freshman guard Tara Macciocco, who was sidelined for two months because of a pulled hamstring, sustained the same injury at practice on March 11.

Potthoff suffered another bout with exhaustion and dehydration during the tournament but still played in all three games. Portland said Potthoff has spent the last few days conditioning and should be ready for Friday's game.