Redeeming victory

The Lady Lions (19-7, 11-4 Big Ten) were trailing through most of the first half, but went on a 21-3 run in the closing minutes of the opening frame to pull ahead of the Boilermakers and take a 36-30 lead into intermission.

"I thought it was a lack of intensity of our bench," Purdue coach Kristy Currie said of the Penn State run.

The game was to feature a battle between two of the top candidates for Big Ten player of the year, Lions freshman Kelly Mazzante and Boilermakers senior Katie Douglas. That battle never materialized. Mazzante shot just 7-19 from the field and made just one of nine three-point attempts, although she did finish with a team-high 18 points. Douglas didn't fare much better, shooting 11-19 and just 1-8 from long range. Douglas did lead all scorers with 25 points.

The major factor of the game was rebounding. The Lions hit the boards hard all game, outrebounding the Boilermakers 40-28. Especially important was the offensive glass, where Penn State grabbed 15 boards to Purdue's nine.

"We talked about that all week," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "We really went after our kids."

Lions freshman Courtney Upshaw lead all players in rebounds, pulling down 10 in 29 minutes of action. Upshaw saw an unusually high amount of minutes because the Lions starting frontcourt of Maren Walseth and Rashana Barnes spent most of the game in foul trouble.

"I don't think its pressure," Upshaw said of playing while the starters are in foul trouble. "I knew tonight was a big game. . . .Tonight was fun."

Portland was impressed with the play of the 6-4 freshman, especially since "she couldn't find the broad side of a barn" when shooting with the coach earlier in the day.

During the second half, the Boilermakers clawed back into the game after trailing by as many as 17. However, the Lions never let them get closer than five.

"It means a lot," Lions senior tri-captain Lisa Shepherd said of the win.

"I think it gives us a lot of confidence."