Many NBA basketball teams show unity by wearing matching headbands or wristbands. The Penn State women's basketball team skipped the trip to the sports apparel store and hit up the training room for gear.

On Sunday, freshman guards Brianne O'Rourke and Mashea Williams sported matching black knee braces on differing legs. Junior forward Charity Renfro included herself by taping one leg everywhere below the knee down to her ankle.

This one common thread between teammates applies to almost one-third of the team. The Lady Lions are running low on able bodies less resembling Allen Iverson and his sleeved arm.

"Why worry about something I have no control over," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said about her team's depth in early December. "This is a situation the program is in."

Yet, Portland has lost a total of four players in the last two years to coaches' decisions. Former center Reicina Russell left Penn State after her freshman season in 2004. Last year's bench was raided before this season even began, when former Lady Lions Jen Harris, Amber Bland and Lisa Etienne were asked to leave the team.

Harris has alleged that her absence from this year's squad is because of anti-lesbian bias by Portland in response
to Harris' perceived sexual orientation, which has generated a discrimination lawsuit by Harris in Pennsylvania Federal Court.

Whatever the tale, only three players returned from 2005's NCAA tournament team. Minus four scholarship players on the bench, Penn State is only one awkwardly twisted limb away from resembling the Wisconsin team it faced on Sunday.

Badgers sophomore guard Janese Banks staggered into line with her teammates for the pregame ceremonies with a couple new accessories: a pair of crutches and a boot. This is a fashionable commodity a coach hates to see.

When sophomore forward Danielle Ward fouled out of the game for the Badgers in the second half, Wisconsin women's basketball head coach Lisa Stone was left with seven players. Her leading scorer, sophomore guard Jolene Anderson, was playing point guard.

Anderson herself was hobbling on one leg after the game. After running up and down the floor 37 minutes, Anderson looked like she could have used an oxygen tank as a belated Christmas gift.

The Badgers' leader then pointed to the Lady Lions for comparison. Penn State experienced a similar fate on Dec. 4 vs. Texas Tech when five players fouled out. Portland was one bad play away from seeing four players in blue and white on the court.

While Wisconsin couldn't top that display of roster shallowness, Stone couldn't let injuries and circumstances excuse her team's 69-54 loss.

"We're a thin roster, there is no excuse," Stone said. "[Penn State's] got a small number, but some very talented players. There are players on their team we would certainly want our players to emulate."

Stone pointed to Penn State junior co-captain Amanda Brown as "the real deal." Depth has been a concern for Brown, who makes a concerted effort to stay on the

floor. As the Lady Lions' leading scorer and rebounder, Brown is fourth on the team in terms of playing time, averaging 28.9 minutes per game because of foul trouble.

Brown played just less than 40 minutes in Penn State's 69-54 win against Wisconsin.

"I'm obviously the oldest person on the team, the most experience," Brown said. "I don't like to sit on the bench. I need to be in the game."

Wisconsin was forced to play younger players against Brown, and the Lady Lions could have similar prospects.

Two of Penn State's healthy pieces would be freshman Rashida Mark and walk-on sophomore Brittany Remmey, who account for 1.8 points per game in 18 total appearances between the two.

But that isn't too inciting for Portland, who once admitted her husband didn't know Mark's name, instead called her "the girl with the glasses" after Mark was recovering from an eye injury.

That's another piece of gear leaving its mark with the Lady Lions.