One of the goals of the Penn State Lady Lions is to protect the Bryce Jordan Center.

In fact, the team even carries miniature wooden versions of the arena to make sure it's safe. Earlier this season, the Lady Lions carried their Jordan Centers everywhere with them, including press conferences. But lately, the symbol of Penn State's home dominance has disappeared.

Rumor even has it the miniature Jordan Centers may make a cameo on CBS' hit show Without a Trace.

More likely though, they are stored somewhere with the team. It's not uncommon for the team to give up its Jordan Centers when struggling at home -- after Penn State lost its first two home games, the models were confiscated and weren't returned until after the Lady Lions' home win against then-No. 24 Texas Tech.

But since then, the team has struggled to consistently win at home -- it's 6-5 in Happy Valley this season -- and the Jordan Centers have again disappeared.

The most recent struggle at home was last Sunday, when then-No.8 Purdue won at the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time since 1999.

While Purdue women's basketball coach Kristy Curry felt the win should have been a cause for celebration, she was shocked to find her team carrying a mild demeanor afterwards.

"I was more excited after the game," she said after the win. "They were just kind of like, 'We won. Let's go.' That's surprising, because I think they expected to win today."

Normally, the Jordan Center isn't a place where many teams can expect a win. Penn State has boasted undefeated seasons at home three times since they moved into the Jordan Center in 1996, the latest of those coming last year. In 2004-05, the Lady Lions had impressive home victories against then-No. 2 North Carolina and then-No. 9 Ohio State.

While Curry's comments about her team's confidence may hint the Lady Lions are losing their Happy Valley intimidation factor, Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland doesn't know about that.

"I don't really know if that's what was said. I just know that that's the first Purdue has won here since [1999]," she said. "So, I don't know if you would expect anything, and I saw her working pretty hard on the sidelines. I don't think she had said that."

While Curry was by no means acting arrogant -- she was just saying her team was confident heading into the game -- it's a telling comment of what this season has been for the Lady Lions.

Penn State has struggled to string together wins and has let teams like Indiana score upsets at home. It was the first time Indiana ever won in State College. A Michigan team winless in the Big Ten even managed to jump out to a 12-point lead in the first half when it was here before fading in the second half.

Indiana women's basketball coach Sharon Versyp said that although Penn State usually plays tough at home, some teams can win at the Jordan Center.

"It depends on which team you are," she said. "Purdue's playing really great. They're at the top of the Big Ten. They're able to win on the road. It goes year to year depending on what team you're talking to."

While Curry's team is currently leading the Big Ten, the Boilermakers skipper isn't too far removed from a situation similar to Portland's. Last year, Purdue was in mostly a rebuilding mode. While its 17-13 finish was respectable, Purdue averaged more than 28 wins per season from 2000-05.

Penn State has no seniors and is scrapping to make the postseason, something that strikes Curry as interesting.

"To think they won't celebrate Senior Day is quite unusual," Curry said. "But again, they're going to be back. They remind me of our team a year ago. They're going to take all their experiences from this year into next season, and, believe me folks, they'll be back."

And while a mediocre home record doesn't look amazing on paper, Penn State still plays better at home than on the road. Although Purdue won last week, the Lady Lions stuck around in the first half before a 21-5 Purdue run killed any chance of an upset.

But with three home games remaining, Penn State still has a chance to reclaim both its Jordan Center models and the actual arena.

"Nothing's ever easy here," Curry said.