It could not find a win, but it did finally find some heart.

The Penn State women's basketball team (9-7) lost its second straight game last night, coming up on the short side of an 81-75 game at Illinois.

Penn State's only lead of the game came when sophomore guard Kelly Mazzante scored on a layup, bringing the score to 9-7. The first half belonged to Illinois, as the Fighting Illini shot a stellar 58 percent from the field on their way to a 40-26 halftime lead.

"There is not much you can say," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "I am really disappointed with the way the team is playing right now. They are doing a lot of soul searching right now."

The 14-point lead was due in large part to a 22-4 Illini run toward the end of the half. The run came after the Lady Lions received a scare when freshman sensation Jess Strom hit the floor hard and had to leave the court. Strom returned quickly but the Lions could not pull themselves together as they went into halftime.

The loan bright spot in the first half was the energy and heart that sophomore center Jackie Shook displayed. Shook delivered five points in the first half and finished with eight points and six rebounds in her first career start.

Shook was not the only player who gave the Lions a shot of adrenaline. Penn State came out firing on all cylinders after the break, bringing the score to 46-43 with 15:45 to go in the game. A major contributor to their second-half success was senior forward Katie Schumacher.

Schumacher sparked the team emotionally by playing hard, physical basketball. She finished with eight points and six rebounds and showed that she can be an option for Portland in the post position.

Another reason for Penn State's second-half turnaround was the implementation of the full-court press. The Lions have used the press numerous times this season and it has given their opponents fits at times.

That was the case last night, as the Lions were able to create turnovers with the added pressure. The turnovers turned into some easy layups as Mazzante, Schumacher and senior Katrena Carr all scored significant baskets to bring them to within three points.

After that it was a game of cat-and-mouse that Illinois would eventually win. Illinois continued to build larger leads during the game, only to have Penn State continuously cut into them. However, Illinois' strong free-throw shooting and defense proved to be too much for the Lions.

With certain players beginning to step up and with much of the season remaining, Portland said that the best thing to do right now is to stay calm.

"This is the first time we have lost two in a row," Portland said. "We have to stay level headed right now. I think we need to calm down and stick with a group."