If the shoe fits

Penn State's Cinderella run can climax with win tonight

INDIANAPOLIS -- The seventh seed proved to be a lucky one for the Penn State women's basketball team this weekend in the Big Ten Tournament at the RCA Dome.

Yesterday, the Lady Lions won their third game in three days, beating Michigan 87-81 in overtime to advance to the tournament final. The team will try to cap off its Cinderella run when it faces fifth-seeded Purdue at 7:30 p.m. today on ESPN2.

Despite placing four players in double figures and shooting 54 percent from the field, third-seeded Michigan (19-9) wasn't able to get past the Lions. The two teams battled neck and neck throughout as the lead changed hands 15 times. The Wolverines were most effective from the outside while Penn State (17-12) did most of its damage on the inside.

With the game tied at 81 with under a minute to go in overtime, Garner drove to the basket to put the Lions up by two. She then went to the line when Michigan was forced to foul her following a turnover. She sank both of her free throws to put her team up by four with 24.3 seconds left.

Penn State senior Jamie Parsons then put the game away when she hit two free throws after the Wolverines were again forced to foul.

Garner, averaging 21.3 points per game in the tournament, struggled at times against Michigan during regulation play. Portland said Garner was trying to carry the team and was therefore putting too much on her shoulders.

"She was struggling a little bit," Portland said, "and when that happened she had to stop fighting it and get back to just being Dre."

Garner had a chance to end the game as time ran out in regulation. With two seconds to play, she missed a wide open short jumper. Teammate Clara Carter grabbed the rebound, but her shot was blocked by Michigan center Pollyanna Johns and the game went into overtime.

Johns, Michigan's leading scorer, was held to just six points. Wolverine coach Sue Guevara said the Lions wouldn't allow Johns to get the ball.

"I think she had Penn State defenders all over her today," Guevara said. "We had trouble getting her the ball. She touched it, I think, four times."

With Johns under tight coverage, other Wolverine shooters picked up the slack. Forward Molly Murray scored 25 points, nailing five 3-pointers, and guard Ann Lemire added 22.

Guevara, however, said her team fell short defensively and on the boards.

"The problem is you have to defend on the other end," Guevara said. "We had problems defending Andrea Garner. We had problems rebounding the basketball, especially offensively."

In both games, the Lions shot well from the outside and were able to get points from Garner and Carter on the inside.

A key in the team's 74-71 upset of the Illini was guard Christine Portland. Portland recovered from a first-half injury to score 14 points, including three clutch 3-pointers.

"We're the pure definition of a team," Portland said. "Everyone has stepped up and played well. The most important thing is that we've done this as a team."