When Purdue comes to town, it's not just another game, and last night's Penn State victory proved just that, providing the 6,400 fans who made it through the snow to The Bryce Jordan Center with another worthy chapter of what has become the Big Ten's best rivalry. The No. 16 Lady Lions upset the No. 5 Boilermakers 75-65 for their third win in the teams' last four meetings.

"You always get up for Purdue, because you know it's going to be a tough game," said Penn State senior Lisa Shepherd.

Shepherd was one of many Lions who stepped up and played well on a night that proved that the game and the rivalry were bigger than any individual. Penn State's Kelly Mazzante and Purdue's Katie Douglas, the teams' respective stars, finished with impressive numbers but struggled throughout the evening. Shepherd made just one field goal herself, but was able to get to the free throw line 17 times, converting a record-tying 14 of them.

"Everybody contributed," said Mazzante, who hit just 7 of 19 shots but still finished with a team-high 18 points.

Shepherd added 17 and junior forward Rashana Barnes overcame early foul trouble to finish with 15 points, nine rebounds, and a huge three-point play late in the second half when the Boilers had pulled to within five.

With Barnes and senior Maren Walseth — who eventually fouled out with six minutes left — stuck on the bench with four fouls apiece, freshman Courtney Upshaw filled the breech with arguably her best performance of the season. Upshaw scored six points, pulled down a game-high 10 boards, and added three assists in a season-high 29 minutes of action.

In addition to pulling off the greatest upset in Jordan Center history, the Lions also improved to 10-11 in the all-time series, showing the Boilers that the Big Ten tournament won't be handed to them.

"They have a great tradition, and so do we," Douglas said.

Purdue women's basketball coach Kristy Curry at first denied putting any special emphasis on the matchup, but then admitted that Penn State is not just another game on the schedule.

"They're world-beaters at home," Curry said. "It should automatically become a big game for us because of the respect we have for them."