Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college,psu.sports
Subject: LADY LIONS SMASH NO. 4 OHIO STATE!!!
From: Robbie Po <RAP115@psuvm.psu.edu>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 23:44:24 EST
Organization: Penn State University

When you get a team like Penn State mad, someone is bound to pay for it.  And
Ohio State was the team the got socked after the AP writers had jumped Ohio
State to No. 4 and Penn State only to No. 6 in the latest polls after Penn
State had led Ohio State in the rankings last week.  No telling if this
motivation was one of the reasons, but something had to be as the Lady Lions
crushed the No. 4 Lady Buckeyes in Rec Hall on Wednesday night by a score of
97-80.  With the win, Penn State put its bid in for the "We're No. 1" motto.
If this impressive victory doesn't give Penn State recognition, then nothing
will.

The game was everything you would have expected out of two of the finer teams
in the Big 10 and two of the top teams in the country.  This was a showdown
and a very good.  High scores weren't because of bad defense - just very good
shots dropping and working plays to perfection by both squads.  I've got a
feeling that this game was the beginning of a rivalry that will form between
these two teams over the years.  The hatred and desire to win is starting
already.

Ohio State must have been shocked, as most fans were, when Penn State played
the master of deceit.  At 12:30 in the afternoon, I caught Ohio State
practicing in the gym.  The scoreboard had not been changed from the Michigan
game.  I wanted to see if Missy Masley was going to play in this game since
she was questionable.  By the time I arrived to the game - at the same time
the Ohio State bus came, I saw the name "Mack" on the scoreboard and when I
took my seat, I saw her in unifrom, stretching.  She looked okay to me. I'm
sure she's not 100%, but for the past few days, we've been hearing that
Katina is out for at least four weeks and possibly the rest of the season.
She scored a game high 21 points tonight - so if that's not Katina at her
greatest potential, I'd love to see what is.  I thought those crutches on
Sunday were a fake, but I slowly started to be a believer in the Mack reports
of injury.  Apparently she's fine and thank goodness!  She's a big factor on
this team and she was sinking the shots tonight!!!  I expect Penn State to say
that their doctors misdiagnosed the injury in tommorrow's paper - but I think
the entire thing was a trick.  This will surely spill some bad blood into this
rivalry, but what a great trick for Penn State fans!!!

Mack didn't start.  Penn State started with a front five of Jenny Kretchmar,
Helen Holloway, Jackie Donovan, Kim Lazor, and Tina Henry.  Ohio State
countered with Audrey Burcy, Averrill Roberts, Katie Smith, Stacie Howard,
Nikki Keyton.  Penn State had a bonus of a special fired up crowd - more
pumped than any game I've ever seen in Rec Hall besides the tournament game in
'91.  The Lady Lions and the Lady Buckeyes - two of the finest teams in the
nation today - I still agree with that statement now.  And they sure put on
one hell of a show!

This game seesawed back and forth, back and forth.  Ohio State and Penn State
countered each other with every move, every shot, every strategy.  It was a
classic Big 10 basketball game.  Each team fought for every single inch
advantage they could get - every play was like this.  Words can't describe
how awesome it was too watch.  It was like the two best chess players competing
against each other and each taking one move at a time to perfection.  That's
how I could describe this game.  You've seen or heard about Indiana-Michigan
men's --- this Ohio State-Penn State matchup is probably parallel to it.

The Lady Buckeyes struck first.  Keyton tossed in a bucket, but Penn State
countered with a bucket by Henry.  Penn State then got the next score to
take their first lead at 4-2 when Holloway hit a shot, but Ohio State was
right back there to tie it at 4-4 when Roberts responded.  It went on like
this for quite sometime until Roberts hit a bucket (her 8th point of the
night) to tie the score at 15-15.

Penn State then went on their first major run of the game, a 7-0 run on
two baskets by Mack and a converted basket by Tina Nicholson, who was fouled
on the play.  This brought the crowd roaring to their feet.  After Nicholson
converted the three point play, Penn State led 22-15 with 10:42 to play in the
first half.

This 7-0 run would be converted into a 13-2 run.  After a Keyton basket
 brought the Lady Buckeyes to within five, Henry hit a basket, Mack sank
another one (she had eight points now).  Penn State then reached the bonus
situation first with 8:46 to play in the half.  Henry sank both ends of a
one and one.  Penn State had 'the force' Mack in the game, the crowd roaring,
and a whopping eleven point lead at 28-17.  With 8:07 to play in the first
half, everything was leaning the Lady Lions way.

But then Ohio State showed why they should've beat Vanderbilt in their only
loss of the season and why that No. 4 ranking means something next to their
name.  After a Jennifer Reimers basket to increase the Lady Lions lead to
30-19, the Lady Buckeyes went on a 7-0 run when Katie Smith hit both ends of
Ohio State's first one and one situation, a three pointer by Smith and a
Keyton basket to get right back in the game at 30-26.

Coach Rene Portland for Penn State called time out and temporarily stalled
Ohio State.  But Portland's two foul rule had the Lady Lions in trouble.
Henry, Missy Masley, and Holloway were all out of the game with two fouls.
Portland's rule is you sit with two fouls.  The Lady Buckeyes 7-0 run would
stretch into a 12-3 run.

Tina Nicholson temporarily ended the 7-0 run when she sank two free throws.
Roberts countered with a free throw and Keyton hit a bucket.  Smith hit a
one and one (the free throw shooting tonight was amazing by Both teams!!!)
It was 32-31 Lady Lions.

In the next event, Katina Mack hit a basket to put Penn State up to
34-31.  Roberts countered with a 1 and 1 conversion on both ends and when
Ohio State stole the ensuing inbounds pass and fed it to Smith, Ohio State
had the lead once again at 35-34.  The crowd was really restless and anixous
this point.  The Lady Lions were heated.  Both teams were getting really
physical and in your face at this point.

After blowing an 11-point lead, Penn State could've gave up.  But they hung
tough before going into that locker room.  In the last 2:32, Kretchmar
hit a one and one to make it 36-35 Lady Lions.  SMith countered with a hoop -
Lady Buckeyes up by 1.  Mack hit a bucket, PSU up by 1.  Roberts drained
a three to make it 40-38 OSU.  Katina Mack then added both ends of a one and
one to knot the score at 40.  Roberts then connected on a three point play.
Ohio State had its biggest lead of the night by 3 at 43-40.  Jackie Donovan
hit a jumper with :06 seconds to go in the half to make it 43-42.  This was
a crucial play in my opinion to keep the Lady Lions techincally even at the
half and would help go into the locker room easier.  This is how the half
ended.  Ohio State was leading by one at 43-42.

I don't know what Rene Portland told the Lady Lions in that locker room, but
as we've seen before - the Lady Lions are a 2nd half team . They generally
play very well in the 2nd half and have done it consistently on the season.
The same held true tonight.


The Lady Lions raced off to an 8-0 run to begin the half.  Lazor sunk one
of two free throws to make it 43-43.  Mack also hit one of two free throws
to make it 44-43.  Little did anyone realize that Penn State had the lead for
good.  They would never trail again.  Holloway hit a bucket and another, and
Mack followed right behind her with a jumper. It was 50-43 PSU.  Time out,
Ohio State and the crowd was on fire!!!


The timeout worked.  Keyton calmly sank a perfect three point shot, Smith
made two free throws.  It was 50-48.  The game would hover between 2 and 4
points for the next few minutes.  Only one thing to point out here and that
is that Burcy picked up her third and Howard picked up her 4th foul early in
the half.  On a night the Lady Buckeyes were relying on their starters, this
clearly wasn't good for them.

After Ohio State cut the lead to 58-55, Penn State went on a 9-0 run to
break this one open.  Masley hit a deuce, Mack added a bucket, Kim Calhoun
put in a soft shot, and Donovan swished a three that put that crowd into a
frenzy.  I jumped for joy after she made this shot.  She was also fouled
after the shot.  Katie Smith threw her after she made it and was charged
with the foul.  Smith was showing the Lady Buckeyes' frustrations in that
Penn State was getting inside shots and sinking just about everything.
Donovan missed the front end of the one and one, but Ohio State just couldn't
recover - and there was still 11:17 to play.

Roberts made a free throw but Holloway came back with a hoop.  Burcy hit a
basket to make it 69-58 with 9:51 to play.  But the crowd was really into
it night and was looking for Penn State to go in for the kill, like they
have done at home so many times over the years.

It happened.  The Lady Lions went on another 9-0 run and a 23-3 run overall in
a span of about seven minutes.  The Lady Buckeyes didn't know what hit them.
They were just stunned and very very frustrated in the defense of Penn State
and the brilliant offense display by several Lady Lions, including Henry,
Nicholson, Mack, Holloway, and Lazor.  Henry hit two baskets, Holloway one,
and Lazor calmly sunk a wide open 3 shot that pushed the lead to 78-58.
The crowd noise was unbelievable.  A 20 point lead over the No. 4 team in
the country with 6:50 to play?  Who would've thought?  Simply amazing!

Ohio State wouldn't give up, as they showed they would still play to the
wire.  They tried to make a game of it, but they couldn't penetrate very
far.  The closet they would come was within 11 at 84-73, with under four
minutes remaining.  At this point, Penn State would miss a shot, get an
important rebound, kill some clock, miss a shot again, get another big
rebound, and kill some more clock.  This possession completely drained
Ohio State.  Penn State ran out 8-0 on a basket by Nicholson, two free throws
by Nicholosn, a basket by Lazor and two free throws by Lazor.  The score was
92-73 and over.

At this point, fans started chanting "Ov-er-rated...Ov-er-rated" towards
Ohio State.  I would have to disagree.  Ohio State is a fine team - a very
good, perhaps great team!  I think Penn State may be underrated if anything
if the Lady Lions would play this way for every big game, which they have
done so far.  I happen to think Penn State and Ohio State are the classes of
the league right now.  I think Iowas is overrrated, but we will see as the
Big 10 slate progresses.

Penn State cruised in the home stretch at 97-80.  Penn State moved into a
2nd place tie with Ohio State in the Big 10 at 5-1.  Both teams trail  Ohio
at 5-0 and there is no 'tiebreaker' in the Big 10.  A tied record is a tie.

Notes : I was extremely impressed with Katie Smith.  I think she is one, if not
the best, player in the Big 10.  I was also impressed with Averrill Roberts.
She's a great player, too.
      : I really don't want to see the Lady Lions go to Ohio State to play
Ohio State.  I'm sure the crowd is a big difference and the home team is a
factor, but I will probably make this road trip!!!
      : Katina Mack, Tina Nicholson, Kim Lazor, and Helen Holloway along with
a great bench shined for this game.  Penn State played their hearts out in
this one.

No. 4 Ohio State Lady Buckeyes (13-2, 5-1)     43     -     37    =  80
No. 6 Penn State Lady Lions    (13-1, 5-1)     42     -     55    =  97
Attendance - announced as 4,200 but people came in at halftime and stuff.
Had to be close to 5,000.

OHIO STATE                               PENN STATE
Nikki Keyton           21                Katina Mack           21
Averrill Roberts       21                Helen Holloway        19
Audrey Burcy           17                Tina Henry            15
Katie Smith            16                Tina Nicholson        14
Lisa Negri              3                Kim Lazor             11
Lisa Sebastion          2                Jackie Donovan         7
                       --
                       80


Lady Lions at Wisconsin on Sunday Afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
** Robbie Po **                        GO PENS  - 3 for 3 in '93!!!
Contact for the '92-'93                Lady Lions Are Flyin'!!!!!!!
Penn State Lady Lions                  "Can't deny it's true - I'm
rap115@psuvm.psu.edu                    LOSIN' MYSELF over you!"