Even though the Penn State women's basketball team has lost three of its last four, as of right now the Lady Lions would be playing in March, one bracketologist thinks.

ESPN's Charlie Creme came out with his latest edition of Bracketology today and he is projecting your Lady Lions to be the No.9 seed in the Oklahoma City region, with a first round matchup against Nebraska.

Penn State is one of only four Big Ten teams that Creme is projecting to be in the tournament if it started today. No. 15 Ohio State would be a No.5 seed in the Greensboro region, Minnesota would be an #8 seed in the Spokane region and Iowa would be an No.11 seed in the New Orleans region.

If Penn State can hold on in the season's last month and make the NCAA tournament, it would be Penn State's first trip to the tournament since the 2004-2005 season.

Creme is also projecting the four No.1 seeds would be Rutgers, North Carolina, Connecticut and Tennessee

- Copain

Howdy yall, it's your trust Lady Lion reporter Andrew Wible and I'll be your eyes, your ears and your nose for today's game against Michigan from the Bryce Jordan Center.

I'm sure yall know already, but there's never really been any love loss between Penn State and Michigan in pretty much anything so it should be intense matchup.

Here are the starting lineups for today's game

Penn State

G - Tyra Grant
G - Biranne O'Rourke
G - Mashea Williams
G - Kam Gissendanner
F - Janessa Wolff

A freshman, Wolff is making the first start of her career.

Michigan

F - Carly Benson (6-foot-2)
G - Krista Clement (5-foot-9)
C - Krista Phillips (6-foot-6)
G - Jessica Minnfield (5-foot-5)
G - Janelle Cooper (5-foot-9)

Once again the Lady Lions will be at a size disadvantage, especially with the gigantic Phillips in the middle. Standing courtside during pregame warmups all I could say is 'wow.' She's an intimidating presence down low and I'm pretty sure would block me nine out of 10 times. So expect the Lady Lions to try to run early and often, something they couldn't do against Purdue.

Another note on Phillips, she hails from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (somehow I spelled both correctly without looking). Not only is Saskatoon quite possibly the coolest town name in the world, it is also the namesake of the Johnny Cash song "The Girl From Saskatoon." Also, in David Letterman's top ten signs you're at a bad airport, "All flights are either coming from or going to Saskatoon, Canada."

NFL connection, Michigan reserve forward Katie Dierdorf is the daughter of former Michigan and St. Louis Cardinals (before they moved to Arizona) offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf.

15:02 remaining first half: Michigan 9 Penn State 8

The Lady Lions have brought their running shoes and have four early fast-break points. Phillips has accounted for half of Michigan's total, but oddly enough both baskets came on quick outlet passes where she simply beat the defense down the court, not something you see everyday from a 6-foot-6 center. Penn State will need to tighten its reigns defensively and not allow Michigan to keep getting easy transition buckets.

10:54 remaining first half: Michigan 17 Penn State 14

A lot of loose play from both teams early on. Both are looking to get down the court quickly, combining for 16 fast-break points already, but have both also missed several layups and easy shots. Fellow Lady Lion reporter Brian Eller said it best, both teams can look sloppy one possession and explosive the next. Whichever team can find consistency will be the one to walk out of the BJC with a 'W' today.

Another note, freshman forward Julia Trogele is on the court for the first time since November after battling mono.

7:22 remaining first half: Penn State 24 Michigan 24

The offensive paced has slowed a lil, back-to-back threes from Gissendanner and Meggan Quinn pulled the Lady Lions even for the first time since the opening minutes. It's shaping up to be a good game the rest of the way.

3:50 remaining first half: Michigan 29 Penn State 28

Once again, I look like an idiot as both teams trade sloppy possession for sloppy possession. The Lady Lions have missed several layups and have been forced by the Michigan defense to use most of the shot clock. Phillips leads all scorers with 13 points, but just committed her second foul. Look for Penn State to attack Phillips to try to get her in more foul trouble.

Halftime: Penn State 33 Michigan 33

The half ended on a bad note for the Lady Lions as Grant picked up her third foul of the game. She was called for a charge with 1.7 seconds remaining, she will either be on the bench or be forced to play conservatively in the second half.

Halftime team stats:

PSU Mich
Field goals 12-of-29 (41.4%) 4-of-24 (58.3%)
3-pt. FGs 2-of-7 (28.6%) 2-of-4 (50.0%)
Free throws 7-of-8 (87.5%) 3-of-6 (50.0%)
Rebounds (off-def) 17 (4-13) 12 (0-12)
Turnovers 5 8

Halftime player stats

Penn State

Brianne O'Rourke - 5 points, 4 assists
Kam Gissendaner - 7 points, 2 steals

Michigan

Krista Phillips - 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block

Halftime: Penn State 33 Michigan 33

The half ended on a bad note for the Lady Lions as Grant picked up her third foul of the game. She was called for a charge with 1.7 seconds remaining, she will either be on the bench or be forced to play conservatively in the second half.

Halftime team stats:

PSU Mich
Field goals 12-of-29 (41.4%) 4-of-24 (58.3%)
3-pt. FGs 2-of-7 (28.6%) 2-of-4 (50.0%)
Free throws 7-of-8 (87.5%) 3-of-6 (50.0%)
Rebounds (off-def) 17 (4-13) 12 (0-12)
Turnovers 5 8

Halftime player stats

Penn State

Brianne O'Rourke - 5 points, 4 assists
Kam Gissendaner - 7 points, 2 steals

Michigan

Krista Phillips - 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block

15:50 remaining second half: Penn State 39 Michigan 38

Phillips just made perhaps the most disgusting-looking hook shot ever. From about eight feet from the side of the basket she threw a hook shot off the top of the backboard and in. Word on the street is my dad had a deadly hook shot in his day, but then again I never got his basketball genetics, I'm terrible.

12:55 remaining second half: Penn State 49 Michigan 43

A mini run, highlighted by a pair of treys from Grant and O'Rourke has pushed the Lady Lions ahead. Despite the 3-pointers, Michigan is doing a good job defensively and is not allowing Penn State to start its offense until the shot clock is already drained.

8:01 remaining second half: Penn State 51 Michigan 48

Michigan has responded with a run of its own, capped by a Krista Clement layup. Coquese Washington called timeout to regroup her team so it doesn't allow Michigan to take the lead. Phillips has been held in check this half, but Janelle Cooper has led Michigan with seven points in the second frame. O'Rourke is the only Lady Lion in double figures with 10 points along with seven assists.

6:40 remaining second half: Penn State 55 Michigan 50

Michigan head coach Kevin Borseth had a little fun with the fans chanting brick while Mashea Williams was at the line. He got heckled for it and exchanged pleasantries with the crowd behind he Michigan bench. All just good-natured jest I'm sure, unlike what I heard when I was at the Penn State-Michigan football game in Ann Arbor last September.

4:13 remaining second half: Penn State 63 Michigan 52

Phillips just picked up her third and fourth fouls of the game when she was assessed a technical foul after fouling Kam Gissendanner. Phillips yelled and stomped on the court. Nothing I would have given a technical for, but Washington said it's a point of emphasis by the officials this season. Frankly, I've seen worse tantrums from five-year-old kids who don't want to go to the first day of school because they'd rather stay at home, drink Coke, eat candy and watch Power Rangers.

Hello from a snowy State College. Tom Copain here, your guide to another edition of Penn State women's basketball

In this latest installment, the Lady Lions will host the Purdue Boilermakers in what has been dubbed the "Black and Blue Rivalry".
The Boilermakers are usually among the leaders of the Big Ten, but right now have been struggling so far this season with a 7-9 record. They have turned it around in Big Ten play however, coming into this game tied for third with the Lady Lions at 3-2. Penn State will look to rebound from a tough loss on the road last Sunday at Minnesota.
The Lady Lions and Boilermakers are part of a five-way tie for third place in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Minnesota. Iowa is the only conference team not playing tonight, so Penn State could find itself in first place in the conference depending on how the teams above and tied with them fare.

Starters

Purdue
G - #11 Lauren Mioton
G - #20 FahKara Malone
G - #45 Kalika France
F - #54 Samantha Woods
C - #15 Danielle Campbell

Penn State
G - #3 Brianne O'Rourke
G - #1 Tyra Grant
G - #5 Mashea Williams
F - #25 Kam Gissendanner
C - #24 Rashida Mark

15:46 left in the first half - Purdue 6, Penn State 4
Both teams have come out a little sloppy in the first few minutes, but Purdue has been able to come out with the lead. No player on either side has more than two points, and both teams have already combined for six turnovers.

11:53 left - Penn State 13, Purdue 11
The Lady Lions look like they have found their footing, as they've been able to go on a 9-3 run to take the lead. Meggan Quinn replaced Mashea Williams early and has been effective, scoring five points on 2-of-2 shooting, a game-high so far, while Gissendanner has also chipped in with four points.

7:39 left - Purdue 21, Penn State 18
The scoring has picked up a bit, as the Boilermakers came right back with a run of their own. Lauren Mioton, Lakisha Freeman and Danielle Campbell have paced Purdue with four points each, while the Boilermakers have picked up the intensity on the defensive end as well, recording two blocks and forcing four turnovers.

3:55 left - Purdue 35, Penn State 21
The Lady Lions look flat as Purdue has used a 14-3 run to open up a 14 point lead on Penn State. The Lady Lions have gone cold as the Boilermakers have been able to force turnovers and turn them into easy baskets at the other end.

3:13 left - Purdue 35, Penn State 23
Tyra Grant finally ends the Lady Lions' drought with a running jumper in the lane. Still Purdue holds a double-digit lead thanks to 11 points off of seven Penn State turnovers, 56 percent shooting from the field and six fastbreak points. The Lady Lions continue to prove that they are successful when they get to the line. So far this half, Penn State has attempted a grand total of two free throws.

Halftime - Purdue 38, Penn State 30
Proving that basketball is a game of momentum, Penn State goes on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to five, before a FahKara Malone three right before the end of the half gave the Boilermakers an eight-point lead at the break. Tyra Grant came alive during the run, she has 10 points so far pacing the Lady Lions. Purdue continues to be paced by France and Freeman, who have combined for 17 of the Boilermakers' 38 points.

I mentioned before the game that all but one Big Ten team was in action tonight, and that the Lady Lions could be in a tie for first in the conference depending on the scores of the other games.
On that note, here are the scores of the other five Big Ten games:
Ohio State 43, Illinois 42 - Final
Minnesota 65, Indiana 63 - 2:27 left in OT
Wisconsin 32, Michigan 26 - Halftime
Michigan State 31, Northwestern 29 - Halftime

With that, here are the up-to-date conference standings:
1 - Ohio State (5-1, 14-3)
2 - Minnesota (4-2, 13-5)
3 - Penn State (3-2, 12-5)
Michigan (3-2, 10-5)
Indiana (3-2, 10-7)
Purdue (3-2, 7-9)
7 - Illinois (3-3, 11-6)
Iowa (3-3, 10-7)
9 - Michigan State (2-4, 10-8)
10 - Wisconsin (1-4, 8-7)
11 - Northwestern (0-5, 4-13)

So Penn State can't move into a tie for first place due to Ohio State's victory, but the Lady Lions or Purdue can still move into a tie for second with a win.

15:34 left in the second half - Purdue 50, Penn State 39
Purdue seems to have the momentum back, as the Boilermakers have pushed the lead back to double-digits early in the half. No one for the Lady Lions have been able to stop Purdue down low, as the Boilermakers have been able to shoot 56 percent for the game, while Penn State has had trouble in the second half figuring out the Purdue zone defense.

11:59 left - Purdue 55, Penn State 41
The Boilermakers continue to frustrate Penn State defensively, while shooting 66 percent for the second half and scoring at will on the inside. Neither Janessa Wolff nor Rashida Mark have been effective defending the athletic Purdue forwards. The Lady Lions also lost one of their role players this half when Evelyn Lewis left with a leg injury.

7:56 left - Purdue 63, Penn State 53
As she did in the first half, Meggan Quinn provided a spark off the bench with a three, but Penn State has not been able to cut the lead down to single digits despite a temporary cold spell by the Boilermakers.

3:59 left - Purdue 75, Penn State 63
This will probably be the final post of the night, and unless the Lady Lions can erase a 12-point deficit in the next four minutes, it looks like Penn State will suffer its first home loss of the season, not to mention a two-game losing streak. In case you were wondering, the last time the Lady Lions lost at home was 371 days ago, a two-point loss to Ohio State on January 11, 2007

Howdy yall, it's your eye in the sky Andrew Wible coming at ya from the Bryce Jordan Center for the Lady Lions matchup against Northwestern.

Here are the starting lineups

Lady Lions (11-4, 2-1 Big Ten)

G - Brianne O'Rourke
G - Tyra Grant
G - Mashea Williams
G - Kam Gissendanner
F - Rashida Mark

Northwestern (4-11, 0-3)

G - Nadia Bibbs (5-foot-7)
G - Meshia Reed (5-foot-8)
G - Jenny Eckhart (5-foot-9)
F - Ellen Jaeschke (6-foot-2)
C - Amy Jaeschke (6-foot-5)

Couple quick notes before the tip: Penn State freshman G/F Julia Trogele is in uniform for the first time since late November after battling a bout of mono ... Northwestern is in its road purple uniforms, not to sound sexist, but they look a little more appropriate than they do on the men's team ... The Lady Lions are currently riding a three-game conference winning streak, which has them in a five-way tie for second in the conference.

15:44 remaining first half: PSU 7 NW 4

O'Rourke opened the game by draining a 3-pointer. Gissendanner followed with a layup underneath and a jumper from 15 feet to give the Lady Lions the lead. The four points made Gissendanner the 30th Lady Lion to score 1,000 career points in blue and white.

11:55 remaining first half: PSU 17 NW 10

Gissendanner continues to light it up as she drained a three from the wing and is awaiting a pair of free throws after the timeout. She leads all scorers with seven points and is regaining her form as one of the Lady Lions premire scorers. Evelyn Lewis has entered the game for the Lady Lions presumably to try to stop 6-foot-2 Ellen Jaeschke who has six of Northwestern's 10 points.

7:37 remaining first half: PSU 25 NW 16

Grant has caught Gissendanner's hot touch and has also racked-up nine points already this half, including a pair of breakaway layups fed by long O'Rourke passes. This game could get ugly, but Penn State has made some careless turnovers, which could keep the Wildcats in the contest longer than they really should.

2:58 remaining first half: PSU 30 NW 22

Well, the careless mistakes have reared their ugly head for the Lady Lions. Poor shot selection, missed foul shots and a charge have allowed Northwestern to remaining fairly close. Ellen Jaeschke continues to be the most painful thorn in Penn State's side with 10 points, all coming on easy inside buckets.

Halftime: PSU 32 NW 24

Penn State is clearly the more talented team, but eight Lady Lion turnovers have kept this game in doubt at the break. Penn State is ahead because it has shot much better from the field (44.8% to 32.4%) and from beyond the arc (44.4% to 0%), which has made the difference thus far. It'll be interesting to see if the team comes out of the break with any added fire because Washington cannot be totally pleased with her team's performance during the latter stages of the first half.

First Half Quickie Stats:
PSU NW
Field Goal Shooting 13-of-29 (44.8%) 11-of-34 (32.4%)
3-point Shooting 4-of-9 (44.4%) 0-of-7 (0.0%)
Free Throws 2-of-6 (33.3%) 2-of-2 (100%)
Rebounds 23 18
Turnovers 8 5

First Half Individual Stats

Penn State

Tyra Grant -- 12 pts, 2-for-2 from 3
Kam Gissendanner -- 9 pts
Brianne O'Rourke -- 3 pts, 5 assists, 5 rebs

Northwestern

Ellen Jaeschke -- 12 pts
Nadia Bibbs -- 2 pts, 5 assists

17:55 remaining second half: PSU 40 NW 26

Washington must have said something right, the Lady Lions have come out on an 8-2 run to extend their lead to double-digits. The run started with a Mark putback off of a Grant missed three, followed by layups from Williams, Gissendanne and O'Rourke. Penn State could run the Wildcats off the court and it looks as though that might be what the Lady Lions are trying to do.

16:35 remaining second half some lucky Lady Lion fan just got a unique souvenir. When Grant fell to the floor her hairtie came off and she threw it into the crowd. Reminds me of the time I picked up Orlando Pace's mouthpiece after an Ohio State-Penn State game in Beaver Stadium. Unfortunately, my mom made me throw it away. That could be worth some big bucks today, but most likely itd just be pretty disgusting and disease-riddled.

11:38 remaining second half: PSU 50 NW 38

It's been rather ho-hum since the opening barrage with both teams exchanging baskets, turnovers and foul shots. Grant and Gissendanner continue the lead the Lady Lions with 18 and 13 points respectively. It's still anyone's game down the stretch, but the Lady Lions are clearly the better team and will be kicking themselves for awhile if they let Northwestern keep the game close.

8:19 remaining second half: PSU 57 NW 41

A pair of missed Northwestern shots and long O'Rourke outlet passes led to a 5-0 Penn State run and has ballooned the Lady Lions' lead to 16 with less than 10 minutes to play. This should be a comfortable cushion as long as Penn State can hit its free throws and not turn the ball over.

Final: PSU 72 NW 53

It took awhile, but the Lady Lions finally flexed their muscle and proved to be the superior team on the court. They held onto the ball and limited their turnovers during the second half and kept shooting well which was enough to pull away from the Wildcats.

Final Stats

Penn State

Tyra Grant -- 20 pts 3 blocks
Kam Gissendanner -- 18 pts
Mashea Williams -- 10 pts, 5 assits, 5 rebs
Brianne O'Rourke -- 8 pts,10 asststs, 5 rebounds
Rashida Mark -- 6 pts, 12 rebounds

Northwestern

Ellen Jaeschke -- 18 pts, 7 rebounds

MT. WOLF, Pa. -- Howdy yall, it's your trusty Lady Lions reporter Andrew Wible and I'll be bringing you all of the action from Penn State's game at Michigan State today.

Now you might be wondering, wait, isn't Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. and not Mt. Wolf, Pa.? Well you're right, but thanks to the magic of television, the game is streaming into my living room in live, action-packed living color.

As mentioned in previous posts, the key for Michigan State is 6-foot-9 sophomore center Allyssa DeHaan. Don't adjust your computer screens, you read that right, she's 6-foot-9, but I think I've hit on that enough.

Potentially god omen for the Lady Lions, Brianne O'Rourke is sporting the cornrows for this game, the last time she wore them, Penn State upset then-No. 11 Duke in November.

Starting Lineups:

Penn State

G -- Brianne O'Rourke
G -- Mashea Williams
G -- Kam Gissendanner
G -- Tyra Grant
F -- Rashida Mark

Michigan State

F -- Alisa Wulff (6-foot)
G -- Brittney Thomas (5-foot-10)
F -- Cetera Washington (6-foot)
F -- Kalisha Keane (6-foot-1)
C -- Allyssa DeHaan (6-foot-9)

15:29 remaining first half: PSU 10 MSU 6

The Lady Lions appear more composed early on, which is suprising considering they're on the road. They have hit more shots, and a Williams three-point play and O'Rourke 3-pointer have given Penn State the lead. DeHaan received a cheap, early offensive foul against Mark and immediately was sent to the bench. Penn State's next possession without DeHaan on the floor went to freshman forward Janessa Wolff in the post for a relatively easy layup. DeHaan must stay on the floor for Michigan State to stay in the game.

10:05 remaining first half: PSU 22 MSU 17

It's been a back and forth affair with each team mounting mini runs. Penn State has been on from long-range early on with Williams, O'Rourke and Grant all hitting 3s. DeHaan has woken up for the Spartans. She has three blocks and six points already and it's becoming evident that Michigan State needs to settle into its halfcourt offense and work the ball through DeHaan. Almost every time the Spartans have rushed a shot, Penn State has been able to run in transition with positive results, including a pretty three-on-one break that started with O'Rourke passing to Gissendanner who passed to Williams for the finish. Fast-break opportunities will allow the Lady Lions to beat Michigan State, and more importantly DeHaan, down the court.

6:41 remaining first half: MSU 29 PSU 28

Michigan State has found its stroke from the outside and has been able to shoot itself back in the game. Also, having the tallest player on the court cleaning the glass doesn't hurt either. DeHaan leads all scorers with eight points and the Lady Lions haven't been able to body her up and force her away from the basket. DeHaan is tall, but is not very strong, she can be pushed around and if Penn State can find a way to keep her from the basket, it can even the rebounding battle.

Halftime: PSU 37 MSU 36

There was some good basketball and some horrific basketball throughout this first half. The Lady Lions fouled twice during the final 20 seconds and allowed the Spartans to close the lead to one. It's still either team's game, and a lot will depend on how Penn State will be able to defend and potentially limit DeHaan in the second half. She leads Michigan State with 10 points, has blocked four attempts, and altered several others. DeHaan has forced the Lady Lions to take akeward shots near the basket to avoid potential blocks.

Team halftime stats:

PSU MSU
FG Shooting 53.6% 57.7%
3-point shooting 4-for-7 2-for-3
Turnovers 10 13
Blocks 1 5
Rebounds 12 16
Points in paint 16 20
Fastbreak points 8 2

Individual halftime stats:

Michigan State

Allyssa DeHaan -- 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 blocks

Penn State

Tyra Grant -- 11 points
Brianne O'Rourke -- 10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
Mashea Williams -- 7 points, 4 assists

16:58 remaining second half: PSU 43 MSU 38

The second half started with some sloppy ball handling by both teams. The Lady Lions committed a pair of turnovers on their first two possessions, but Michigan State wasn't able to extend its lead past one. Then the turnover bug hit the Spartans and Penn State was able to convert with back-to-back-to-back transition layups, two by Williams and one by O'Rourke and extend its lead to five.

11:21 remaining second half: PSU 49 MSU 47

Neither team is taking advantage of opportunities to build a decent lead. Michigan State has missed multiple layups and has turned the ball over 18 times, but Penn State hasn't been able to capitalize on the Spartan freebies. Michigan State has also gone away from DeHaan, with the Spartans shooting more outside and mid-range jumpshots. They've been hitting a good amount of them, but if they'd get the ball to DeHaan more, the Spartans might be able to pull away, but Penn State has also been doing to a fairly good job defensively against DeHaan. It's still anyone's game and we'll see what happens.

7:44 remaining second half: PSU 56 MSU 51

Mashea Williams is quietly becoming the Lady Lions' most steady players, and perhaps one of the top players in the conference. After taking the game-winning charge against Illinois on Wednesday, she already has 18 points, five rebounds and five assists today. She has turned it on during the second half with 11 points, including five in a row by tipping in a Grant airball and driving to earn a three-point play. However, the Spartans have not gone away and continue to hang with Penn State and stay in the game. But if Michigan State wants to win, DeHaan can't settle for jumpshots from the fouline and the offense must run through her in the low post.

5:25 remaining second half: PSU 63 MSU 51

The Lady Lions have started to pull away and Michigan State coach Suzy Merchant could sense it and called a timeout to try to calm her team and motivate it to mount a comeback. The dagger before the timeout was an O'Rourke 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to put Penn State up by double-digits. This lead should help Washington and crew relax a little bit, but again, with the Lady Lions, nothing can be taken for granted on the road.

CBS just showed Washington's lil' two-year-old son Quenton at the game. The commentators said he was playing with bubbles at practice on Friday and that he's already a "gym rat." Maybe he'll lead the Penn State men to the Final Four one day . . .

Final: PSU 69 MSU 57

The Lady Lions simply dominated the final 10 minutes of the game and were able to finally earn a rather stress-free win. The Spartans began forcing shots down the stretch and it was over as Penn State iced the game at the foul line. Brianne O'Rourke led all scorers with a game-high 23 points, four assists and six rebounds. Mashea Williams carried the Lady Lions through the middle of the second half and finished with 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The balanced scoring allowed Penn State to simply overwhelm the Spartans with scoring options as the Lady Lions snapped an almost two-year conference road losing streak (their last Big Ten road win was on Jan. 22, 2006 at Northwestern).

This could be a huge win for the Lady Lions' psyche and also boosts them into the logjam at the top of the Big Ten. They have made a statement that they can in fact win on the road and set themselves up for an ultra-competitive Big Ten season.

MT. WOLF, Pa. -- They must grow 'em big in Michigan. The Lady Lions (10-4, 1-1 Big Ten) head to East Lansing, Mich. to take on the Michigan State Spartans at noon on Saturday. Michigan State (9-6, 1-2) currently sits in a tie for ninth in the conference.

But given Penn State's road struggles, nothing can be taken for granted outside Happy Valley. Especially given the Spartans' BIG inside presence.

Michigan State boasts the nation's tallest player, 6-foot-9 center Allyssa DeHaan. In the words of Michigan State radio host Mikey V, letmerepeatdatforya, 6-foot-friggin-9!!!!

She'd be the third tallest player on the Penn State men's team.

And it's not like Spartan head coach Suzy Merchant just trots DeHaan on the floor to intimidate opponents. She already holds the school record for career blocks ... as a sophomore. She also set the Big Ten single-season block record with 145 as a freshman.

This season, DeHaan has become more of an offensive threat, averaging 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds. But don't think she's lost any of her power on defense, she already has 70 blocks this season, averaging 4.6 per contest.

There's no doubt she will literally be the Lady Lions' biggest challenge this season.

How is Coquese Washington supposed to prepare her team for a 6-foot-9 center when she's half of a foot taller than the tallest Lady Lion?

I covered the men's team last season and forward Andrew Jones was given the duty of -posing as 7-foot Ohio State big man Greg Oden, but Jones was only giving up three inches, how do you simulate half a foot? Get out the brooms and chairs, the lane is going to be crowded.

-- Wible

Howdy yall, this is your ever-vigilant Lady Lion reporter Andrew Wible and I'lll be bringing you all of tonight's action as Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center for its Big Ten home opener against Illinois.

Coming off of its loss to Iowa last week, Penn State (9-4, 01 Big Ten) looks to bounce back against conference-leading Illinois (10-3, 2-0). This is a big game for both teams as a tough road victory could prove the Illini are a contender for the conference crown, while the Lady Lions must hold serve at home to stay in championship contention.

Starting Lineups

Penn State

G -- Tyra Grant
G -- Brianne O'Rourke
G -- Mashea Williams
G -- Kam Gissendanner
F -- Rashida Mark

Illinois

5-foot-11 G -- Lori Bjork
6-foot G -- Chelsea Gordon
6-foot F -- Lacey Simpson
6-foot-3 F -- Jenna Smith
6-foot-2 F -- Danyel Crutcher

Illini of note:
-- Smith leads the Big Ten with 18.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest
-- Gordon was high school teammates with current Lady Lion Mashea Williams at Mercyhurst Prep in Erie, Pa.

On a personal note, I think Illinois' road orange uniforms may be some of the snazziest unis in basketball. Maybe it's becaue they're the color of the ball, I don't know, but they look pretty gosh-darn cool. Take a look http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper736/stills/6x8386k6.jpg
(image courtesy of the Daily Illini)

11:23 remaining first half: PSU 15 Ill. 13

O'Rourke leads all scorers with eight points, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Both teams appear evenly matched, although the Illini aren't trying to exploit their height advantage after an opening six-point run. Since the opening salvo when the Illini converted three straight easy layups in the paint, five of Illinois' 13 shot attempts have come from the land of 3.

7:14 remaining first half: PSU 18 Ill. 15

Both teams appear comfortable at the current pace, and have been playing, for the most part, solid ball. For the first time, at least at home, maybe all year, the Lady Lions have put two "true" post players on the court at the same time. Freshmen Evelyn Lewis and Janessa Wolff have done a decent job of limiting the Illini's looks in the paint and have allowed the Penn State's guards to score.

3:45 remaining first half: PSU 20 Ill. 20

Pretty back and forth contest, with the Illini using a Bjork three and pullup jumper from guard Rebecca Harris straight to pull even with the Lady Lions. During one sequence with less than four minutes remaining, Penn State's Tyra Grant committed a turnover, got a steal on defense and then turned it over again on offense. Lady Lion head coach Coquese Washington has sat Grant before for losing focus and becoming selfish and Washington spoke privately with Grant during the timeout. We'll see how her words affect Grant.

Halftime Ill. 30 PSU 24

The Illini finished the half on a 15-4 run to take a six-point lead into the locker room. Penn State appeared flat after the under four minute timeout and Illinois took advantage with several easy layups and short-range jumpers. The two teams are even in almost every statistical category, except for field goal percentage, where Illinois holds a 48.1% to 30.8% advantage. So basically, the Illini are making more shots, which could be expected considering they're getting easy looks while the Lady Lions have had to force shots in traffic or settle for outside jump shots. Penn State must find a way to limit Illinois' touches in the paint during the second half, while I'm sure the Illini would be happy to continue doing what they've been doing.

15:52 remaining second hlaf: Ill. 34 PSU 30

The two teams have traded baskets. The Lady Lions have gotten some better looks, every attempt has been in the paint, while defensively, Penn State's post defense has not allowed the Illini cheap baskets.

On a side note, seeing as how it's winter break, I didn't expect much of a crowd here at the BJC, but it's decently sized, especially considering it's a Wednesday evening.

11:29 remaining second half: Ill. 39 PSU 37

The Lady Lions have clawed back and have the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead for the first time since midway through the first half. A pair of jumpers from Mashea Williams and Meredith Monroe (whose banked jumper wouldn't count on the street courts where I play cause I never heard her call 'glass') cut the Illinois lead to two, and an Illini turnover has finally gotten the crowd back in the game. If Penn State can take a lead here, it could be a very interesting game during the final 10 minutes.

7:57 remaining second half: PSU 41 Ill. 39

A pair of made foul shots by both Tyra Grant and Brianne O'Rourke have given the Lady Lions their first lead since 4:21 remaining in the first half. Penn State has the ball with a chance to extend its lead.

Also, the Nittany Lion just finished doing theYMCA, quite a sight to behold. Maybe even more fun to watch, the fans in their 70s or 80s dancing to the village people, classic. I might have to invite them to my next party.

3:23 remaining second half: PSU 45 Ill. 45

The two teams have exchanged mini runs, with a Grant running jumper tieing the game at 45. For a long stretch, Illinois kept forcing shots and couldn't find the net for almost seven minutes, but the Illini offense has awaken, revived by a Bjork three. This looks to remain tight down the stretch, it should be a barnburner.

Final PSU 49 Ill. 48

You can't really draw them up quie like this one ended. After Tyra Grant put Penn State head 49-48 with 9.9 seconds remaining, Illinois had one last chance to win the game. Illini guard Rebecca Harris drove the length of the court, slashed into the paint and laid home what appeared to be a game-winning layup, but she was called for charging after colliding with Mashea Williams to end the game.

Post game quotes:

Illinois head coach Jolette Law on the final play: "I have no comment"

Mashea Williams on the final play: "That was my first charge of the year, note that."

Tyra Grant on the final play: "I heard the whistle, I thought they were gonna call something crazy then I saw mush on the ground, they called a charge, and I jumped up and almost touched the JumboTron."

Coquese Washington on the final play: "Matter of fact, I didn't even hear the whistle, I just kinda put my head down and I saw our team like jumping and I was like what happened? Then I looked up and the ref was going 'charge' and I was like 'oh my God, I can't believe we got a charge, first of all, but a game-winning charge. Pop the champagne that was unbelievable."