In the Penn State women's basketball team's game last night against Ohio State, there were times the play looked more like that of a high school game than an NCAA Division I major conference game.

The Buckeyes committed 30 turnovers in the game while the Lady Lions didn't fare much better, turning over the ball 21 times. The Lions were able to use the Buckeyes' turnovers to come away with a 69-52 victory.

"We were shooting 59 percent in the first half, but it didn't look like a good basketball game because of the turnovers," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "We came out in the second half and did a better job of taking care of the basketball.

"It's a physical game when you play them. There was one series where there was utter chaos out there."

Buckeyes senior Jamie Lewis, who came into the game just 15 assists shy of a school record, had four turnovers and no assists in the first half. She finished the game with just four assists and 11 turnovers, dramatically lowering her conference-leading 2.22 assists-to-turnover ratio to 1.97.

Ohio State coach Beth Burns credited Penn State's defense in causing most of the turnovers. She said although the Lions aren't the quickest team, they have a size that forces opposing teams into quick, and usually incorrect, decisions.

Lions freshman Kelly Mazzante set a new career high with nine steals, although Portland thought she should have had 10 because she was called for a foul on one towards the end of the game. Mazzante had just set the high last Sunday with a seven-steal performance against Michigan State.

The game was also marked by a lot of whistles, especially in the second half. The two teams combined for 43 personal fouls, something the injury-laden Buckeyes could not afford. The Buckeyes had one player foul out and three other players had to finish the game with four fouls.

"I think it was a real aggressive game," Burns said. "We really are playing with six.

"We have a very small margin for error."