A team outing to watch Miracle on Saturday was not enough inspiration. The momentum from an 11-game winning streak could not carry over. And the desire to remain undefeated in the Big Ten did not provide the necessary motivation.

As the No. 5 Penn State women's basketball team (18-4, 10-1 Big Ten) fell 74-56 last night at No. 13 Minnesota (18-3, 7-3), the Lady Lions could not muster anything at all to overcome a Golden Gophers squad and its 14,363 fans looking to avenge a Jan. 22 loss in Happy Valley.

For a team that has refused to lose since Dec. 30, the game was a step backward, a reminder of how easily a contest can slip through its fingers in front of a hostile crowd. After fighting to get its only lead of the game, 45-44, with just under 10 minutes remaining in the second half, the slide began. A lack of defensive intensity soon caused the women to give up 30 points as well as their hopes for a perfect conference season.

"Where were we in the last 10 minutes; where was our heart; where was our belief that we could win?" Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland asked on the Penn State Sports Network. "I think we stopped playing. There are times when you have to leave it on the court, and we didn't do a real good job of that."

Prior to the game, Portland said for.

her team to stay in the fight, it would have to present Minnesota with a balanced attack. The result, however, was anything but balanced.

Senior guard Kelly Mazzante and junior guard Tanisha Wright, Penn State's first and second scoring options, took the brunt of the offense on their backs, scoring 22 and 20 points respectively. The next highest personal total was just four points, contributed by both junior point guard Jess Strom and freshman center Reicina Russell.

The final score served to remind the "and others," as Portland has termed those players not named Mazzante or Wright, that offensive production needs to go deep for this team to go far.

The most troubling struggles occurred in the Lions' post play, which has been a point of concern for the women all season. With solid Minnesota center Janel McCarville waiting in Williams Arena, the battle was one that could not be won.

McCarville recorded a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while the Lions' inside trio of Russell, Ashli Schwab and Amanda Brown combined for just seven points and 13 rebounds. While McCarville was the player who fouled out in the teams' last meeting, this time, it was Russell and forward Jess Brungo who found themselves on the bench as the final minutes wore down.

"We didn't get anything out of our post play tonight," Portland said. "McCarville just sat in that lane and picked us apart."

Minnesota guard Lindsay Whalen led all scorers, as the senior recorded 23 points for the night.

With the bulls-eye on the back of the only perfect conference competitor now gone, and with the lessons coming from a loss rather than simply a messy win, the women now have a full week to regroup before hosting Michigan on Feb. 15. But the disappointment heard in Portland's voice was most assuredly not one that will disappear quickly.

Because for these Lions with the sky-high dreams, the theme of the New Year has been one of never failing to gut out tough wins -- and last night, things were suddenly different.