GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The Penn State Lady Lions are hoping the early bird gets the Wolverines.

After being beaten by Michigan on Sunday, the No. 19 Lions went back to work this week during 5:30 a.m. practices, hoping to avoid a third straight setback to the Wolverines in this afternoon's Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal match.

"We're going to go early every morning this week just to get used to the time change," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said Tuesday, referring to the Lions' noon today tipoff time.

In other action, No. 8 Purdue will meet Ohio State at 2:30, No. 23 Iowa will take on Indiana at 6, and No. 20 Wisconsin will square off with Illinois at 8:30.

Michigan became the first Big Ten team to win at The Bryce Jordan Center since Purdue in 1999 and also defeated the Lions in Ann Arbor in January, thanks in large part on both occasions to the play of sophomore center LeeAnn Bies.

After burning Penn State with 20 points in Ann Arbor, Bies had 20 in the second half alone Sunday and totaled 26.

Stopping Bies "has to be our number one concern," Portland said. "She really got us in the first half there, and in the second half here. We didn't stick to our defensive game plan, and (forward) Rashana (Barnes) got into foul trouble again, and that hurts us."

After having their last regular season performance at the Jordan Center spoiled by the Wolverines' one-point upset victory, Penn State seniors Lisa Shepherd and Maren Walseth are more than ready to knock heads with the Bies and Co. again, as well as pursue the tournament title that has eluded them for four years.

"We had a team meeting (Tuesday) and that was just to get everyone back on the same page," Shepherd said. "Yeah, we should be upset and ashamed that we lost to Michigan, but we can't dwell on it and that was the main point of the meeting."

Shepherd added that the idea of losing three times to one team provided the Lions with ample motivation for today's game, and that the team will be "ready to go."

Walseth said that winning the tournament would be an impressive feather in the Class of 2001's cap, even one that includes a Final Four appearance from a year ago.

"That's something that would make us different from the other teams we've been on here," she said.

Penn State's last Big Ten tournament championship came in 1996, but the Lions have made it to the final two of the last three years, bowing both times to this year's No. 1 seed, Purdue.

Penn State faces a possible semifinal game against the Boilermakers tomorrow provided that both teams take care of business today. And if those early team meetings and practices pay off, the Penn State seniors may return to Happy Valley with a new addition to the Lady Lion trophy case.

"We've got to go into this Big Ten Tournament with the attitude that we're going to win it," Shepherd said.