Rising and shining in Indy

Unheralded lady cagers fueling unlikely tourney run

INDIANAPOLIS -- It did not seem possible.

After the Lady Lion basketball team dropped five of its last six games during the regular season, there appeared to be little hope that Penn State would win the Big Ten Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

But the Lions have stunned the Big Ten, defeating Northwestern, No. 13 Illinois and Michigan on consecutive days to advance to their third Big Ten Tournament final in four years. Penn State (17-12) will try to complete its Cinderella run at 7:30 tonight against No. 5-seeded Purdue (19-9).

Although Penn State's run to the title game has been surprising, it has not been accidental. The Lions earned their way to the finals by playing their best basketball of the season. Their shooting percentages and rebounds have increased dramatically while their turnovers have been on the decline.

Friday against Northwestern it was freshman guard Chrissy Falcone coming off the bench and scoring 12 points on four 3-pointers to break open a close game.

Saturday against Illinois, fellow guard Christine Portland helped Penn State pull off the upset of the tournament by nailing three straight treys in the opening moments of the second half to give the Lions a 10-point cushion.

Yesterday, point guard Helen Darling played the role of hero, racking up a career-high 20 points and hitting three clutch baskets in overtime.

"This feels great," Darling said after the Michigan game. "I just wanted to do whatever it took to win."

The play of Falcone, Portland and Darling has been vital to Penn State because it has opened up the inside game for Andrea Garner. The sophomore center has been a force the entire tournament, averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds per game.

"Andrea Garner has done a remarkable job," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "She has developed into a great high-post player."

"We had trouble getting the ball to Pollyanna (Johns). Every time she got it she was hammered, but that's just post play," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "On the other side Andrea Garner was able to get the ball at will and hurt us inside."

Garner's performance could give Penn State a good chance against Purdue. The Boilermakers do not have a force like Johns to slow her down in the paint. If the guards continue to help Garner out by hitting their outside shots, the Lions could be on their way to the Big Dance.

They have already shown that anything is possible.