Lady cagers making grade at midseason

After months of deliberation and close scrutiny, the Dean of Women's Hoops has finally completed his grading of the Lady Lion basketball team.

Many sleepless nights were spent by the Dean as he prepared his report card. Each of Penn State's 21 games was examined carefully before he even thought of making any grades. Although he has high standards of excellence, the Dean took every precaution to make sure his grading was fair, yet honest.

After somewhat of a shaky start, the play of the Lion guards has improved steadily. Their solid overall play has helped put the Lions near the top of the standings.

Senior co-captain Jamie Parsons has been the anchor of the backcourt, providing solid minutes and veteran leadership to a group that includes a sophomore and two freshmen. Her 16 points against Michigan helped catapult the Lions to their most exciting win of the year, an 85-84 overtime thriller in Ann Arbor.

"(Parsons) is the team's MVP. She has been everything to us," coach Rene Portland said. "Jamie and (fellow captain Em Clements) have taken a completely different team from last year and pulled out from them the best that they can."

Point guard Helen Darling has strung together four consecutive solid games and has cut down on the erratic play she frequently displayed throughout the first 15 outings. She has developed into one of the Big Ten's better passers, dishing out 4.84 assists per game and has shown a knack for getting to the foul line.

Junior Christine Portland and freshman Lisa Shepherd have run hot and cold. Portland started her season with a bang against Rutgers, but while she has contributed quality minutes, she has struggled with her shot since the opener. Shepherd was making a run at the Big Ten 3-point title before falling into a recent shooting slump.

Defensively, the guards have carried the Lions at times. They have given several teams fits with their full-court pressure. Against Indiana and Ohio State, they helped force a combined 61 turnovers.

Grade: B

Because Penn State uses its centers and forwards interchangeably, the Dean decided to grade them as a whole. The post play has been dominating at times. Sophomore Andrea Garner leads the team in scoring and rebounding and has racked up seven double-doubles while Maren Walseth's 24-point outing against Purdue showed she has the potential to be a force inside.

Junior Clara Carter has come on strong in recent games to earn a starting role. She carried the Lions to victory at Northwestern last Friday with her 18-point, 10-rebound effort.

Clements has provided solid leadership and helped hold the team together. Portland has called her the glue of the team. Stacey Brewer has not seen many minutes, but has provided quality offense when called on.

The one area the post players have struggled in has been rebounding. In all but one of the Lions' losses they have been beaten on the boards. They have especially had difficulty with physical teams like Illinois and Louisiana Tech.

Grade: B-

Considering the youth and inexperience of her team, Portland has done a commendable job. Despite being picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten, she has put the Lions in a position to make a run at a conference title and earn an NCAA Tournament bid. Along the way she picked up her 400th victory at Penn State when the Lions upset then No. 8 Wisconsin in December.

"Rene has done some great coaching jobs over the years, but I think the job she's done with this year's club is one of her best," Illinois coach Theresa Grentz said. "I don't look at coaching efforts by wins and losses. I look at the way the players respond and I feel that her team has done that this year."

Grade: A-