On the canvas much this season, the Lady Lions have occasionally risen up and shown reminders of the champion they once were. Now they have stumbled again, leaving them exposed to a knockout punch that could dispel any hopes for a Cinderella finish.

No. 11 Purdue (13-2, 5-0 Big Ten) is the lone unbeaten in the Big Ten, while Penn State (7-9, 1-4) has yet to win in three road conference games this season. Riding a 10-game win streak and a nine-game conference winning streak, the Boilermakers have been able to win regardless of the venue.

The diametric streaks will collide tonight at 7 at the Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.

"The fact that they've been able to protect their home and get some wins on the road, that's really a credit to the way they're playing right now," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said.

The home team typically raises the upper hand in bouts between the perennial juggernauts, as the Boilermakers hold a 15-14 overall series edge. Last year, an unranked Purdue team upset then-No. 23 Penn State 50-44 in West Lafayette just two weeks after an unranked Penn State team had embarrassed a then-No. 23 Purdue squad by handing it a 23-point loss in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Purdue, swiping over 10 balls a game, will look to capitalize on a Penn State team that boasts a -3.00 turnover ratio, good for 11th in the conference.

If Penn State wants to leave the Mack with a victory, the key lies in the hands of the Lady Lions' guards. Freshmen Brianne O'Rourke must be exceptionally crisp in her passing, while Mashea Williams cannot get pick-pocketed off her dribble-penetration in order to compensate for a inconsistent front court that has had some problems maintaining possession of late, particularly junior captain Amanda Brown.

"We knew that was going to be the problem when you have a freshman point guard, but Brianne really hasn't been the problem," Portland said. "Our turnovers right now are in the post position, where we have to stay on top of our post players making sure they take care of the basketball."

Brown has come down with the most severe case of butter fingers. Though leading the team in points and rebounds per game, she also leads the team in giveaways in Big Ten play, committing over 25 percent of the team's turnovers.

A loss would drop the Lady Lions to 1-5 in the league for the first time, virtually eliminating them from an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Their one hope would be an automatic berth as the Big Ten Tournament champion.

A win would let them hang on to those hopes, at least for now, provided that they hold onto the ball first.