Garner's high-octane play propelling flight to stardom

There is a new star on the rise in State College in the 6-foot-3 form of sophomore Andrea Garner.

In the Penn State women's basketball team's 75-62 win over Indiana on Sunday, the Lady Lion center scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as she recorded her fifth double-double of the season.

Making Garner's performance even more impressive was the fact that it came against Hoosier standout Quacy Barnes. Barnes, a 6-foot-5 senior, put up 16 points and snatched only five rebounds, and was overshadowed by the younger, smaller Garner.

Garner's impressive performance Sunday was her second straight against a highly touted center. In the team's previous game, Garner recorded a double-double against Michigan senior Pollyanna Johns. With 25 points and 12 rebounds, she led all scorers as the Lions triumphed in overtime, 85-84.

In outplaying Barnes and Johns, Garner added a telling paragraph to a statement she has been making all season. She has consistently produced for the Lions and now seems to have emerged as Penn State's go-to player.

"She's really doing a nice job of creating some things for herself and making some things off the offense and really calling for the ball," Portland said.

The departures of the team's top three scorers at the end of last season left the Lions without a true go-to player. Needing one of her young players to step into the role, Portland pulled Garner aside before the season began.

"She told me that it was time to step up and I felt I had the ability to go," Garner said.

And step up she has. Garner currently leads the team in scoring (12.4 points per game), rebounds (8.1 per game), field goal percentage (54.2 percent) and blocked shots (12).

Unfortunately, a holiday bout with the flu negatively affected Garner's numbers. She scored just seven points against Michigan State on Dec. 30 and only five against Iowa on Jan. 2.

While Portland said she is pleased with her center's progress, she said she doesn't want her team to be contrived around one player.

"She certainly has the right to be very, very confident about herself," Portland said. "We just need to keep everybody very much within the team concept."

And for good reason. While Garner's numbers have been strong, they are hardly Jordanesque. Despite leading the team offensively, as of Jan. 5 she still had yet to break into the top 20 among the Big Ten's leading scorers.

Portland believes the sophomore still has room for improvement.

"I think she needs to develop the mentality that goes with the experience inside," she said.

But if the past two games are any indication, then the future could be bright for Garner and Penn State.