Shooting blanks
Shepherd, lady cagers lose scoring touch in tourney

By WILLIAM KALEC
Collegian Staff Writer

Glenn Shepherd must have thought the person wearing the number 20 on her back for Penn State was an impostor.

Sitting courtside with a host of friends and family members, the proud papa of one the most lethal 3-point specialists in the Big Ten expected that trend to continue in tournament play -- it did not happen. After making the one-hour trip from Richmond, Ind., to Indianapolis' RCA Dome, Glenn Shepherd might have wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

During the opening minutes of the Lady Lions' 79-74 quarterfinal victory against Michigan State, Penn State guard Lisa Shepherd tried to add on to her Big Ten-leading 58 3-point conversions.

She failed miserably.

Instead of increasing her 47-percent accuracy from behind the 3-point arc, Shepherd launched a shot that made everyone who is familiar with the Penn State sophomore's usual shooting successes blurt out a collective, "What the heck was that?"

With her air ball that did not even come close to hitting the rim, Shepherd set the tone for the Lions' perimeter shooting for the entire weekend.

"It is always hard to get back on track after you air ball your first shot," Shepherd said following the Michigan State game. "First-game jitters are gone now so hopefully I can keep my mind focused on (Sunday)'s game and not worry about the shooting."

Maybe Shepherd should have worried about her next game because things didn't get any better.

Following her 10-point performance against the Spartans, Shepherd outdid herself by shooting 4 of 16 from the field and a dismal 3 of 12 from 3-point territory in the semifinals against Illinois.

But, to her credit, Shepherd was not alone.

Shawnta Vanzant, who lit up Michigan State with five 3-point baskets and led all starters with 17 points Saturday night, converted on less than half of her attempts Sunday and helped add to the Lions' less-than-spectacular shooting barrage.

The Lions' premier outside shooter of the semifinal's first half, Chrissy Falcone, was nowhere to be found in the second. After connecting on 60 percent of her 3-point attempts, tallying nine points and giving Penn State a slim two-point lead going into halftime, Falcone sat helpless on the sidelines as the game slowly slipped away.

On their 24th 3-point attempt of the night, fittingly by Shepherd who heaved a desperation half-court prayer as the horn sounded, the Lions put an end to their porous shooting exhibition and to their goal of getting a third chance at No. 1 Purdue.

"We allowed (Illinois') guards to have a great game," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "We tried to live and die by the 3-point shot and that's what you get.

"We died by it."