It didn't come easily, but for one last time yesterday, the Penn State women's basketball team could boast that it protected the Bryce Jordan Center.

With vital postseason positioning at stake, the Lady Lions (14-15, 7-9 Big Ten) held off Indiana 78-68, officially punching their tickets for the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis as the No. 5 seed, securing an opening-round bye. Strong post play from captains Amanda Brown and Charity Renfro appropriately highlighted Senior Day in front of a Jordan Center crowd that got louder as the Hoosiers (17-12, 6-10) got closer, and the game clock wound down.

Fighting its way through seven ties and 16 lead changes, Penn State took off late in the second half, energized by two huge Renfro buckets that solidified their narrow advantage.

"It was one of those things where you see an open look and you just go after it," Renfro said. "Especially in a time like that in a game when it was really close, and I just honestly wanted us to just get to a point where we were up."

Different looks from Indiana's versatile players gave the Lady Lions several problems. Brown and Renfro had trouble containing 6-foot-7 Indiana forward Sarah McKay, a versatile center who can shoot from the outside and helped the Hoosiers with a game-high 22 points. Freshman point guard Jamie Braun made up for her lack of size with pure aggressiveness on the glass, nabbing 12 rebounds to lead all players.

However, trading blow-for-blow, Renfro multiplied her season scoring average by five with her 10 points, a strong complement to Brown's usual big output in the post. Not one to be outdone, Brown's 20 points and 10 rebounds led the team and marked the 13th double-double of her senior campaign, and she finishes the regular season as the only player in the Big Ten to average one.

Trailing by one at halftime, guards Tyra Grant and Mashea Williams helped their senior teammates by turning on the offense, scoring 11 and nine points, respectively, after the break.

"When we came in the locker room at halftime, we just went, 'We gotta do it,' " Williams said. "We just came together as a team and pulled everybody together... There's no way that we're gonna lose on Senior Day."

Yesterday, the Lady Lion seniors needed more than assistance on the floor of the Jordan Center to extend their careers by at least a day. Losses by Wisconsin and Minnesota vaulted the Lady Lions from a tie for seventh in the Big Ten into the sole possessors of the fifth seed, guaranteeing them a first-round bye and a Friday night matchup with fourth-seeded Illinois in Indianapolis.

Brown said that her team was aware of the stakes before the game, but they did not get too wrapped up in them.

"We focused on basically doing our job," Brown said. "And what we needed today was to win. You can't control what happens in the other gyms, but we needed to win."

Notes: Williams finished with season-highs in points (13) and assists (6)... With the loss, Indiana dropped from a tie for seventh in the Big Ten with the Lady Lions to ninth... The Lady Lions secured the Big Ten's fifth seed despite going winless away from the Bryce Jordan Center in conference play. How is that possible? A 7-1 home record... Brown finishes her Penn State career with a 44-8 record at the Bryce Jordan Center... The Lady Lions dropped their only meeting with the Fighting Illini this season, a 74-65 overtime decision in Champaign.