The senior center for the Penn State women's basketball team is in the middle of every team huddle, pulling the five together after every whistle. She doesn't pump her fists to the home crowd when a shot falls, or sulk disappointedly when a referee doesn't make a call.

Although she doesn't visibly show her excitement, senior captain Amanda Brown's quiet play has been one of the major sparks for the Lady Lions' latest two home wins.

Yesterday, Brown posted her ninth double-double of the season in a 78-71 win over Iowa. Even though she was one of five Lady Lions to score in double digits with 14 points, she led the team with 12 rebounds, 11 of them on defense.

The Penn State player with the next closest rebounding total only managed four. Brown only had four rebounds at halftime, but her eight in the second half played an integral role in the Lady Lion comeback, which continued through the rest of the game.

"She's a very, very good player," Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. "I'm glad she's a senior. She didn't have that many points today, but she doesn't miss. She's 4-for-4 from the field, so she doesn't force bad shots. She has 12 rebounds to go with that. She didn't have an all-star game by any means, but she certainly found a way to contribute when she didn't get that many shot attempts. She's an excellent player."

This strong performance follows perhaps an even more dominating game against Michigan State last Thursday. Brown posted another double-double, this time scoring 27 points and hauling in 14 rebounds. Exuding the same humility as she does on the court, Brown gave all the credit to her teammates for her performance after the Michigan State game.

"It wasn't so much me deciding [to score], we just decided as a team to go at them and attack them," Brown said. "My teammates gave me the ball, and I just ran the floor and Brianne [O'Rourke] found me."

The past two games have not only featured impressive totals from Brown, but she also has a perfect 100 field goal percentage from the field in that span. She is 12 for 12 and has only missed three shots from the free throw line.

Brown has been solid all season, receiving her first Big Ten Player of the Week award on Jan. 15 for averaging a double-double the week before. In games against No. 5 Ohio State and Michigan, she averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds. However, she brings more to the Lady Lions than a scoring threat and physical presence under the boards. Just as she gathers her teammates together in a huddle after every whistle, Brown is the emotional backbone of the team.

"She's our leader," junior co-captain Kam Gissendanner said. "She has been there, done that, so she knows what to do in clutch situations. We just really appreciate what she's bringing to the table, and this is her senior year so she's going all out, and we see it, on a day in, day out basis, so we're just really happy with what she's doing for us."