On Jan. 4, with the score tied at 62, a foul was called on Michigan State's Lindsay Bowen, sending Penn State point guard Jess Strom to the charity stripe. With 10 seconds remaining, Strom sank both attempts, sealing the 64-62 victory for the Penn State women's basketball team.

Two days later, Michigan State women's basketball coach Joanne McCallie did not make any attempt to hide her displeasure with the officiating and the ending in her team's first matchup with Penn State.

"I thought that game should have been in overtime, and it would have told a lot more had it gone to overtime because it was a draw," McCallie said on the teleconference. "Anytime people win it on the free throw line in the last 10 seconds of the game on someone else's court, it's a draw."

Tonight at 7, as the No. 22 Spartans (19-6, 9-5) play host to No. 6 Penn State (21-4, 13-1), the Lady Lions will have the chance to prove that the last-second victory nearly two months ago was no fluke. Though Sunday's meeting between Penn State and No. 4 Purdue (23-2, 13-1) will, no matter the outcome of tonight's game, determine the regular season conference champion, tonight's meeting is nevertheless still crucial. For the Lions, it is a must-win if they want to not only prove to themselves that they can win tough games on the road, but also to keep their record less tarnished for a better seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

"We have to do what we have to do at Michigan State, and that's the team's number one focus," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said.

In addition, winning tonight is simply a matter of pride for the women, who listened to the complaints of McCallie after the January game.

"And we listened to every word, so we're gonna have a vengeance," senior guard Kelly Mazzante said.

If a vengeance serves as a motivating source for the Lions, that would be just fine with them. Traveling to East Lansing to compete against a team that was able to come within three points of beating Purdue on the road on Sunday, will certainly not be an easy task. Add to that the Spartans own vengeance, and the result is a likely dogfight.

"We understand that we have to go out there and win, and we're going to do everything it takes to do that," Mazzante said.

After tonight, there will be no draw.