As a native of Pittsburgh, freshman point guard Brianne O'Rourke is a huge Steelers fan. Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland, on the other hand, didn't even know that O'Rourke's hometown team was playing on Monday Night Football.

"Is that tonight?" Portland said yesterday, referring to the Steelers-Colts matchup last night.

Portland was more concentrated on today's road trip to Norfolk, Va., where the Penn State women's basketball team will play Old Dominion (0-2) at 7 p.m.

"Against the Colts," sophomore guard Adrienne Squire, an Indiana native, confirmed, adding fuel to the fire. "They are going down."

"They are brutal," Portland joined into the discussion.

"We hear conversation about them all the time."

And as the talk became consumed by football, the last bit of hope that O'Rourke would see Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's return to the gridiron was quickly vanquished from the room.

"There is a curfew, and she'll be asleep," Portland said of O'Rourke.

After coming off of the first win of the season vs. Duquesne Nov. 22, Portland is looking for her team to continue Penn State's one-game success story on the road. Penn State is looking far beyond tonight for this game's importance.

"We need to steal this one on the road if we want to keep NCAA [tournament] aspirations in our heads. That's the bottom line," Portland said. "We have to remember what March is. We can't get to March and ask for a second chance."

Football conversation won't be as relevant when it comes tournament time.

Right now a topic of interest is that the Lady Lions have faced the Lady Monarchs twice on the road, losing both times.

On Dec. 2, 2001, a Penn State squad led by Kelly Mazzante, the all-time leading scorer in the Big Ten, lost 84-80 in overtime at the "great high school gym," a description that Portland gave of Old Dominion's old venue. Less than two years later on Nov. 25, 2003, the Lady Lions visited the Lady Monarchs' new home, the Ted Constant Convocation Center, and fell 75-68.

Last year was a different story at home, where Penn State beat Old Dominion, 76-68.

Those contests won't factor into the score, but this outcome could be the difference for Penn State this season. With a stretch of five games in 11 days coming up, Portland stressed the importance of a win at Old Dominion to pad the Lady Lions' out-of-conference record before Big Ten play begins.

Before Dec. 9 when Penn State hosts Marquette, the Lady Lions will play home games against Pittsburgh, Texas Tech and George Mason.

"I talked to them the other day, it's almost like in Big Ten play. You say, 'You have to win at home and steal on the road.' Well we almost have to do that now," Portland said.

The game won't be an easy one to steal, as the Lady Monarchs are enigmas up until this point in the season. Old Dominion's leading scorer, sophomore guard T.J. Jordan, averages 17.5 points per game coming off the bench.

One thing Portland knows for sure is that the Lady Monarchs will try and push the ball up court with their guards. This bodes well for Portland, who will not have to worry much about the 3-point shot from Old Dominion coming off the fast break.

Penn State is last in the Big Ten in 3-point defense, with its opponents averaging .455 percent from behind the arch. O'Rourke and fellow freshman guard Mashea Williams will not have to worry about the Lady Monarchs, who only average a .348 percentage from downtown.

Otherwise, Portland would have her mind wander back to more violent images. Like a defensive back dragging a man down when he knows he is beat, Portland would have preferred to see her guards hack at opposing shooters.

"To be quite honest with you, I don't understand. If someone shot it up in my face I'd rip her arms," Portland said. "You don't just stand there like a scarecrow with a pole stuck up your butt."

That is O'Rourke's replacement for Steelers football. She has her own hardball to play.