It was just one shot.

But, if Ann Thorius' three-pointer hadn't gone in with six seconds left the Penn State women's basketball team probably would have held on to defeat Michigan.

And seniors Lisa Shepherd and Maren Walseth would have been able to say a more contented goodbye to the Bryce Jordan center.

Instead, the senior captains' team-leading performances during their final home appearance as Lady Lions were overshadowed by the heartbreaking 75-74 loss.

Shepherd led the team with 17 points and Walseth was close behind with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but their efforts weren't enough to prevent the Lady Lions from suffering what was just their second loss at home this season

"This was senior day, so we knew coming in that there was going to be a lot of intensity, and a lot of emotion," Michigan coach Sue Guevera said. "I don't know, I can't speak for Penn State, but they didn't hit the shots they needed down the stretch."

While that's true, Walseth, Shepherd and Penn State coach Rene Portland were still trying, long after the game was over, to sort out exactly what went wrong to cause the disappointing second half.

"It looked like, a lot of times, we were just going through the motions," Shepherd said. "It seemed like we just needed to pick our speed up, and we kept saying that, but it just never happened."

However, when the Lady Lions began to show signs that they were struggling, both Walseth and Shepherd, as seniors and captains, recognized the need for some leadership. Each player stepped up their game in the second half and chipped in with 11 points apiece.

But the points weren't enough to prevent the loss, and they certainly weren't enough to ease the pain of the defeat. Actually, both players found themselves looking to the past for comfort instead.

"Obviously this loss was disappointing," Shepherd said. "But when I look back on the four years, it's been a great four years. If I had to do it all over, I'd definitely come back here. The fan support is amazing."

Walseth agreed, and she said that some of her greatest memories are of games played at home and the fans that were always there for support.

"I'd be stupid to dwell on this one forever," she said. "The Bryce Jordan is a great place to play, and it's hard for other teams to come in here."

So now the seniors will leave the loss behind and begin focusing their energy on leading the team into next weekend's Big Ten Tournament, where they will get a chance to avenge Sunday's loss when they face the Wolverines again on Friday.

"I think as seniors or starters we have control over the energy and enthusiasm and making sure people come out to play," Walseth said. "Yeah it was a big loss for us, but in our sport you don't have time to sit back and dwell on it."

On the other hand, there is one thing the Lady Lions need to dwell on, and that's figuring out exactly what went wrong to cause the disappointing second half.

"I think we're a close team and we know what we have to do," Shepherd said. "We're going to come together and take what we've learned from this game to help us going into the Big Ten tournament."