Sometimes taking a step forward comes at the expense of somebody else going backward.

The Lady Lions (9-11, 3-6 Big Ten) stumbled their way through the start of the conference schedule but will look to plod ahead for a third win in four games against Michigan at 7 tonight at the Bryce Jordan Center. In perpetual decline, the Wolverines are winless in the Big Ten.

"We don't need to be somebody's first win in the league," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said.

"We allowed Indiana to come here and beat us here at home and that's the first time that school has done that in a long time."

Indiana came into the BJC on Jan. 1, stealing a 54-50 victory for their first ever win in Happy Valley, but this Penn State team seems ages away from the team that lost to the Hoosiers on New Year's Day. If Portland wants any reminders of where she was at a month ago, all she has to do is look at Michigan women's basketball coach Cheryl Burnett, who also helms an extremely young team without a senior.

While the older players on Penn State, such as junior Amanda Brown and redshirt sophomore Kamela Gissendanner, have stepped forward as of late, Michigan has had no such luck finding a leader. Only Ta'Shia Walker has more than 10 points per game (11.7), while the Lady Lions have three players regularly hitting double digits. Walker has made that contribution coming off the bench, starting in only one conference game.

"You have to have some performance leader," Burnett said. "That is what we've been lacking, that one kid that you know is going to step up in crunch time."

For Michigan (6-15, 0-9), the key to the game will be their ability to stop Penn State's crunch-time players, particularly the posts in the middle of transition. Burnett said they have spent the week teaching the forwards how to get back to stop the aggressive Penn State frontcourt.

"Penn State's posts run the floor extremely well, and they're getting a lot of easier opportunities at home," Burnett said.

Rebounding is one of Michigan's strengths, so if Penn State hopes to get those easy buckets, dominating the glass will be important. That has not been a problem of late, as Lady Lions have won the battle of the boards four of the last six games.

Brown has run right by defenders recently, making her 15.2 points per game over the last five games look relatively easy in the process. Part of that has come with Gissendanner, who has averaged 20.6 over the same stretch.

The two have fed off each other so well that they've matched each other in point totals to lead Penn State in the last two games. Each recorded 24 points against Iowa then went on to have 18 apiece at Minnesota.

With that chemistry in mind, the Lady Lions hope to run the Wolverines right out of the building, taking another step forward.