Shrieks and yells of "Let's go cats" echoed through the normally quiet halls of the Bryce Jordan Center's basement before the No. 5 Lady Lions' game with Northwestern yesterday.

Despite being winless in the Big Ten and playing the No. 5 team in the country, the Wildcats' (7-13, 0-9 Big Ten) cheers sounded as exuberant and optimistic as any team had coming into the Jordan Center all season.

Northwestern managed to translated all that pre-game energy to the floor, but Penn State and freshman center Reicina Russell, who had 22 points and 16 rebounds, were too much for the feisty Wildcats down the stretch as the Lions (17-3, 9-0) won 64-51.

"I admired [Northwestern's intensity]," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said. "I was frustrated and disheartened by it when there is a loose ball ... they come up with the rebound off the foul shot, and we just weren't even going after the basketball."

Though the intensity for the Wildcats was there throughout, the proficiency was not, as Northwestern was only able to play well during stretches of yesterday's contest.

Even with their leading scorer, junior point guard Samantha McComb, out with a sprained ankle, the Wildcats came out of the locker room firing. Two buckets by the Big Ten's last place team in the first minute and four seconds prompted a Penn State timeout.

"I can't tell you the last time the first time out of the game was called, and it wasn't me," Northwestern women's basketball coach June Olkowski said.

But the stoppage did little to break Northwestern's resolve. The Wildcats somehow continued to methodically manufacture points and hold the lead for the first 10 minutes of the first half.

Only when Penn State went to a half court trap did the Lions gain some semblance of control over the game. The defensive adjustment by the Penn State women seemed to rattle Northwestern and its freshman guard Breanne Smilie.

On a series of possessions in the first half, the Wildcats twice turned the ball over on backcourt violations and had several others when they were forced into a last second heave to avoid a committing a shot clock violation. Northwestern's offense was simply anemic in the latter part of the first half.

Poor shooting by Penn State, however, kept the Wildcats in the game as they trailed by only nine at half. Northwestern continued to fight and made a run to start the second half and even briefly grabbed the lead when freshman guard Alex Mueller hit a three-point field goal from the wing to put her team ahead 43-42.

With senior guard Kelly Mazzante having her worst shooting night of the season (12 points on 3-for-18 shooting), the Lions had to look elsewhere for point-production, and it was found in one of the most unlikely places: a freshman post-player. Russell physically dominated the Wildcats down low on her way to a career day. The player who Portland said earlier in the season needed to do a better finishing did just that, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor.

"We thought we tried to defend Mazzante and make her shoot tough shots and she really didn't get many open looks," Olkowski said.

Even in victory the game was a relative disappointment for Penn State. Though she deliberately wouldn't say what it was, Portland said a "message" would be sent to her team. Northwestern, however, will be taking many positives away from the losing effort.

"For me, I saw a breakthrough on my team," Olkowski said. "And I am really excited about going to practice on Tuesday."

Judging from yesterday's gritty performance, her players probably will, too.