At the beginning of the season, every team circles important game dates on the calendar. No. 18 Penn State and No. 5 Purdue probably both circled today.

At 7 tonight, the 2000 Big Ten Champion Lady Lions host the 2001 Big Ten Champion Boilermakers at The Bryce Jordan Center.

The Lions (18-7, 10-4 Big Ten) are tied for second in the conference and need to win the rest of their games and hope that both Wisconsin and Iowa lose another game for the Lions to claim the No. 2 seed.

Despite their record, Purdue head coach Kristy Curry knows the Lions have an offense that can keep them in a game with any team.

"As much film as I've watched and as many sets as they run, goodness, (Penn State coach) Rene's (Portland) always so hard to prepare for," Curry said.

That offense is lead by the Big Ten's leading scorer, Lions freshman Kelly Mazzante. Although, Curry said she is not focusing her defense on the rookie.

"She just flat out has such a quick release, I'm not sure there's much you can do," Curry said. "I think if you focus too much on Kelly . . . It's definitely a good Penn State team around her.

"I just don't think you can come in and focus all your energy and efforts on her."

Mazzante has contributed 476 points to the Lions cause so far this season, and is just 26 points shy of breaking Penn State's freshman scoring record of 502.

However, Mazzante isn't the only scorer in the Lions lineup. Lions senior Lisa Shepherd has made herself known, averaging 14.5 points per game.

Also, freshman Jessica Brungo has turned some heads in recent weeks, leading the team in scoring last Sunday at Wisconsin.

"When you have guards such as Lisa, myself, and Jess, who can shoot the ball like we do, that makes it pretty impossible to defend," Mazzante said. "I think if we each step up, which we have been doing, I think that's going to take a lot of pressure off . . . and we're going to have a better opportunity to score."

The Lions are facing the Boilermakers for the first time since Purdue beat them in the finals of last season's Big Ten Tournament, and Portland said that is something on the minds of her squad.

"I think the older kids have to remember that's the team that beat them in the Big Ten Tournament," she said.

Although the Boilermakers (24-4, 14-1) have already locked up the conference championship, they still have a good reason to play hard. They are fighting to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a win on the road at a top-20 team like Penn State looks good to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

They also have a major offensive threat in the form of senior Katie Douglas. The All-American candidate's scoring is down from last year, however she is averaging more than 13 points per contest. She is also third in the conference in steals.

This will be the last regular season contest for the Boilermakers, giving them a week and a half to rest before the Big Ten Tournament, something that Curry said will be nice for her team to get over some minor injuries.

While most of the attention will be focused on Douglas and Mazzante, it may be the play of a lesser known player such as Brungo that could be the difference in the game.

"From the Iowa game on, she's stepped up and done some super things for us," Portland said of her freshman.

"She doesn't just score, she can also rebound for us, and when she does that, we really have an added advantage."