Lady cagers full of confidence heading into Big Ten Tourney

One thing is certain about the Lady Lion basketball team -- it is confident.

Despite posting an ugly 3-8 record against the six teams who finished ahead of them in the Big Ten, the Lions like their chances at this weekend's Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.

"I've always been in a situation where (Penn State) has not been predicted to do so well and we always rise to the occasion," point guard Helen Darling said. "I think we're going to rise to the occasion and win the Big Ten Tournament."

Although confident, winning the Big Ten will be a monumental challenge for Penn State. Because they finished seventh in the conference, the Lions (14-12, 8-8 Big Ten) do not get a first-round bye and must win four games to claim the title. In the three-year history of the tournament, no champion has taken the long road and won four games like the Lions have to do.

- coach Rene Portland

If the tournament's tradition is upheld, Penn State can kiss its NCAA Tournament aspirations good-bye. The only way the Lions can get into the Big Dance is by overcoming the odds and capturing the title and the automatic bid that goes with it.

While no team seeded lower than fourth has ever captured the tournament crown, Penn State does have some history on its side. In 1995 No. 7-seeded Ohio State plowed its way to the finals after upsetting No. 2 Purdue and No. 6 Michigan State. The Buckeyes came close to taking the title before dropping a hard-fought 68-63 decision to Penn State.

Last year, Indiana had success with a lower seed. After hammering Michigan in the first round, the No. 8 Hoosiers pulled off the upset of the tournament, shocking No. 1 Purdue 61-54 and advancing to the semi-finals.

Jamie Parsons, Christine Portland and Stacey Brewer give Penn State three more reasons to be optimistic heading into Big Tens. All three were members of Penn State's 1995 and 1996 tournament championship teams. That experience is important on a team consisting of mainly freshmen and sophomores.

"We have some older kids from when we did win two Big Ten titles. The young kids ask the older kids, 'What did it feel like?' and they tell them it was the greatest," coach Rene Portland said. "The older kids have to be story tellers. The history is not that far away."

For Penn State to experience the high of winning another title it must overcome the inconsistency that plagued it down the stretch. After moving into third place with a 7-3 conference record last month, the Lions hit the skids and won just one of their last six games.

The Lions' biggest problem has been falling behind early. In three of its five losses during the slump Penn State has come out slow and found itself facing a double-digit halftime deficit. The Lions have battled back each time, but the deficits have been too steep to overcome.

Despite dropping its finale last Sunday to Wisconsin, 83-75, the Lions showed they have the capability to do some damage at Big Tens with their second-half performance. Facing a 17-point deficit at The Kohl Center, Penn State played one of its best halves of the year and pulled to within five with a minute remaining. The Lions played with a lot of confidence and for only the second time this season made more than 50 percent of their shots.

"This team still believes and that's what's so good about them," Portland said. "You have to be optimistic."