When Lisa Shepherd and Maren Walseth first joined the Penn State women's basketball team four years ago they immediately made an impact.

Both of them were named to the 1997-98 Big Ten All-Freshman team charting quality minutes off the bench. Shepherd was second on the team in scoring with 10.3 points per game while Walseth played in all 34 games and recorded several double figure scoring performances.

And, up to and including their last game in a Lady Lion uniform in Ruston, La., both took the spotlight and nearly came away with a win for Penn State.

In the 77-75 loss to Texas Christian on Saturday, Shepherd and Walseth took center stage for the Lions in their final collegiate game.

Shepherd scored 20 points on 7-16 shooting including 5-9 from three-point range — a record number of three-point shots made by a Penn State player in NCAA Tournament play.

Walseth Scored 21 points and pulled down 13 rebounds as she attempted to control the interior play during the game.

"I just wanted to have a game that I could look back on and not be disappointed in," Walseth said.

The first half of the game was far from a stellar performance for either of the sneior players. Walseth worked her way inside for close shots at the basket but the ball continually rimmed out of the hoop as she shot 0-5 from the field. Shepherd did not fare much better as jump shots and three-point attempts hit the back of the rim and bounced away.

Despite a poor performance in the first half, Walseth came on strong in the second half working her way down low and making the same shots she missed in the first half. She scored 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the half.

Shepherd also turned up her intensity, possibly seeing her career coming to the brink. She hit a three-point shot from the corner to give Penn State a 75-74 lead with a minute left in the game. The game seemed to be in hand as Shepherd pumped her fist in the air and silenced the predominant TCU fan base.

"Lisa stepped up and took a couple of three-pointers that went down that gave us a boost of energy and enthusiasm and kept us going in a positive direction," Walseth said.

But in the final minute, key mistakes would seal the Lion's fate. Walseth missed a lay-up with 20 seconds to go and was forced to foul.

After the missed front end of a one-and-one, Walseth rebounded the ball and brought it down the court, only to turn the ball over to the Lady Frogs.

Penn State would have a last shot and the ball would go to Shepherd's hands. She received a pass at half court with four seconds to go and threw up a quick shot. After the game, she questioned her decision to shoot down by two points and placed the blame on herself.

"It was a bad choice on my part," Shepherd said. "We didn't need a three, and I should have been more smart on that decision."

Even though the decisions at the end by the two players represented a momentary lapse of reason, both can look back on careers that spanned four seasons and a lifetime of memories.

"The bottom line is that they took a team of five freshmen pretty far and taught them a lot of lessons tonight and off the court that will help them down the road," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "They've done a terrific job on the court, in the classroom, being leaders, being the people that we want at Penn State."