Hoosier loss leaves lady cagers in limbo

Before heading into last Sunday's game with Indiana, Penn State looked like a solid bet to receive an NCAA Tournament bid.

Then Indiana got involved and destroyed everything.

Now, as a result of Sunday's 58-55 heartbreaking defeat against the Hoosiers, Penn State finds its tournament hopes shrouded in doubt. Not only did the loss cost the Lions their grip on third place, it also threw them into a three-way tie for fourth with Purdue and Michigan. With only four games remaining, Penn State must get hot if it hopes to extend its season.

"We still have two weekends left and a lot can happen," Penn State assistant coach Susan Robinson-Fruchtl said after Sunday's game. "We can still put ourselves into a position to get a bye in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament."

The top five teams will receive byes at the Big Tens in Indianapolis, Ind., but even if the Lions (13-9, 7-5 Big Ten) earn a free ride to the quarterfinals, that does not ensure them of winning a trip to the NCAAs. In order to receive a bid, Penn State will have to make a strong showing at the Big Ten Tournament, at least going as far as the semifinals.

One win at Big Tens should be enough to please the NCAA Tournament selection committee, provided the Lions win at least three of their remaining four games. A task that is easier said than done considering Penn State must play its last three games on the road at Iowa, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Its lone home game is Friday night when Michigan comes to town.

Defeating Iowa and Wisconsin could open the selection committee's eyes and dramatically increase the likelihood of earning a tournament berth. The Hawkeyes have a firm grip on the Big Ten's second-place position while Wisconsin has resided in the top 25 for almost the entire season.

"This team has accepted a lot of challenges and learned from a lot of things. There certainly has been the disappointment of quite recently not being able to beat a top 25 team," coach Rene Portland said. "But we still have some of that ahead of us. We have to get a little more hungry."

Penn State was in an almost identical situation last year. The Lions sported an identical overall record and had lost only one more Big Ten game than this year's team. The 1996-97 Lions also had big games with Michigan and Iowa coming up at this time last season.

Penn State hopes that is where the similarities end. With their tournament hopes hanging in the balance last year, the Lions were destroyed 98-59 at Michigan and nipped 66-63 in Iowa. The Valentine's weekend disaster all but ruined any hopes Penn State had of reaching the tournament.

Despite the similarities, Portland is confident her team can prevent history from repeating itself.

"It's a complete reversal of what we had on this team last year," Portland explained. "We have a group of kids that sincerely want to put Lady Lion basketball back on the map and I think they're very capable of doing that."

Motivation to get back to the NCAA Tournament could be a big advantage for Penn State down the stretch. After reaching the tournament for seven straight seasons before last year, the Lions do not want to be remembered as the team that could not make it to the Big Dance.

"Before I came here (the Lions) were in the tournament every year and for me to get here and not be a part of that was real disappointing," sophomore center Andrea Garner said. "Hopefully this year we can get back in the thick of things and start an even longer streak."