Lady Lions pull out win at buzzer

Come on, admit it. You were ready to chalk up another one in the loss column for the Lady Lions.

After all, you were just being realistic. Penn State had lost seven of its last eight games and was venturing into Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena where it had walked away winless in five tries.

Sure, it was looking good there for awhile. Penn State (9-7, 2-4 Big Ten) managed to tie the game with 1:35 left when guard Jamie Parsons nailed two free throws. But when Hawkeye forward Tiffany Gooden hit a jumper over Parsons to give Iowa (8-7, 3-3 Big Ten) a 60-58 lead with only 3.2 seconds left, you heard the fat lady warming up for her big finale.

But Lady Lion guard Tara Macciocco stole the show with her 25-foot buzzer-beater that pulled out the much-needed win for Penn State. In a season filled with disappointments and questions about leadership, Macciocco's performance was one of the brightest spots of the year.

"It was a Pete Lisicky shot," Penn State coach Rene Portland said in a post-game interview on the Penn State Sports Network.

Macciocco's performance was the type of big-time play Portland usually only gets from forward Angie Potthoff. Macciocco finished with a career-high 21 points in 31 minutes, including her three big treys. In addition to the game winner, she hit a 3-pointer with seven minutes left to give Penn State a 47-46 lead.

"She's been dying to be the team leader. She's dying to do things right," Portland said.

While Macciocco may make the highlight films, a solid team effort, particularly in the defensive end, kept the Lady Lions within striking distance throughout the game. Penn State aggressively pressed Iowa throughout the game, often leaving Iowa with less than 15 seconds on the shot clock by the time the ball crossed half court.

The Hawkeyes also had difficulty setting up in the offensive end. Center Simone Edwards, who finished with a team-high 11 points, was often forced to take the ball into one-on-one situations rather than being able to set up an open shot.

Iowa was also without the services of its leading scorer for much of the game, losing junior guard Angela Hamblin to leg cramps. Hamblin, who has averaged 15.7 points per game, only managed to contribute two points in her 20 minutes on the floor.

The Hawkeyes may have the stingiest defense in the Big Ten, allowing Big Ten opponents only 59.8 points a game, but Penn State came up with 13 steals, nearly twice more than Iowa's seven.

The Lady Lions were hurt by turnovers, however, especially in the closing minutes of the game. Penn State finished with 20 turnovers, three more than the Hawkeyes. Freshman guard Helen Darling had four, the last coming when she stepped out of bounds with 12.9 seconds left on the clock.

"Her turnovers really hurt us," Portland said. "Her heart is in the right place, but sometimes her head is still in Brookhaven (high school)."

With the experienced Lady Lion guards stepping up, the offensive burden was partially lifted off the shoulders of Potthoff, who still finished with 15 points, 15 rebounds and 4 steals in 36 minutes.

One key contributor was Tiffany Longworth came off the bench and out of her recent slump, playing tough defense and scoring 10 points, including two 3-pointers, in 13 minutes. It was Longworth who took the final inbounds pass from Potthoff and found the open Macciocco to set up her game-winning shot, although Longworth is listed as having no assists on the night.

"Three seconds isn't a lot of time," Portland said. "We told Tiffany she had to make a smart decision. I just had to go with experience."