Loss drops Lady Lions to seventh

The Penn State women's basketball has been a slow starter all year.

Yesterday against No. 22 Wisconsin was no different. The Lady Lions stumbled early and fell behind by 17 at halftime. Despite a furious second-half rally, the deficit was too much to overcome and Penn State dropped its regular season finale, 83-75, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

The loss was a costly one for the Lions (14-12, 8-8 Big Ten). A win would have locked up a sixth-place finish and earned them a first round Big Ten Tournament game with conference doormat Minnesota. Instead, Penn State dropped to seventh and now must face a dangerous Northwestern team next Friday in Indianapolis, Ind.

Wisconsin (20-8, 9-7) threatened to run the Lions out of the building in the first half. Badger point guard Katie Voigt, who torched Penn State for a career-high 29 points, ignited runs of 10-0 and 9-0, giving Wisconsin a 42-25 halftime lead. The Lions helped bring about their own demise, committing 14 turnovers and going scoreless for four minutes late in the half.

Penn State looked like a different team in the second half. Center Andrea Garner and guard Christine Portland sparked a spirited comeback and helped pull the Lions within five, 79-74, with a little more than a minute remaining in the game.

As she did the entire game, though, Voigt again put a knife through Penn State's heart with her clutch shooting. The senior playmaker hit three foul shots in the final minute, pushing Wisconsin's lead to seven and sealing the Lions' fate.

The Badgers ruined what could have been a great weekend for Penn State. The Lions had a chance to gain a lot of momentum heading into Big Tens after defeating Michigan State 76-60 Friday in East Lansing.

Penn State snapped a four-game losing streak and played its best game of the year against the Spartans (11-15, 5-11). Unlike against Wisconsin, the Lions came out smoking and built a 20-point first-half cushion.

"That was not a very good showing on our part," Michigan State coach Karen Langeland said. "From the opening tip it was like we were in slow motion."

Garner led the Penn State attack and kicked off her big weekend with a career-high 27 points on 13 of 21 shooting. Every time the Spartans threatened in the second half, Garner stepped forward and slammed the door in their face.

"We've been practicing really hard on the high-low and getting the ball inside and I was fortunate enough to get a lot of passes," Garner said. "It felt good to be on top of things from the beginning and not have to work twice as hard in the end."