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[ Friday, Jan. 14, 2000 ]
Lady Lions wear down Illini
By Gwenn Miller
Collegian Staff Writer
For one night only, fans at The Bryce Jordan Center were given the chance to be psychics.
The game they witnessed was quite possibly the Big Ten championship game matchup played almost two months in advance. And just like the pundits predicted in the preseason, No. 5 Penn State beat No. 12 Illinois 76-66, claiming the top spot in the Big Ten with a 5-0 record and a 14-2 overall record.
"Definitely, whoever wins this game has an advantage," Fighting Illini coach Theresa Grentz said.
PHOTO: Gordon Marshall/Collegian
Penn State Twin Towers Andrea Garner and Rashana Barnes helped control the inside attack for the Lady Lions as they defeated the Fighting Illini last night and took over first place in the Big Ten.
Both teams dealt with foul trouble, which marred their respective game plans as they saw starters head to the bench early. The matchup of the Big Ten's stars soon became a matchup of the teams' best bench players.
Lions forward Maren Walseth was assessed two fouls just minutes into the contest and spectated for the rest of the half. Point guard Helen Darling suffered the same fate about 10 minutes later, and freshman Ashley Luke found herself at the helm.
The Illini (14-5, 4-1) didn't fare much better as Co-Big Ten Player of the Week Tauja Catchings and Pennsylvania native and forward Susan Blauser fouled out in the final minutes. Nontheless, Catchings finished with 18 points and 12 boards.
The Lady Lions never surrendered the lead, but the Illini threatened in the five first minutes of the second half. Catchings scored the first bucket of the period and Garner picked up her third foul. But thanks to guards Lisa Shepherd and Katrena Carr's offense and a solid defense, the Lions stymied the comeback.
"It's good to get that off our back," Lions coach Rene Portland said, who tallied her 450th win Penn State last night. "We only play them once and now they're someone else's problem."
Despite blending her diverse team and molding them into one of the best in the nation, Grentz's young Illini did what young teams do in crucial moments -- made youthful mistakes. Although they wrangled with clock mismanagement and lapses on defense, Grentz was hardly devastated by the mistakes.
"I'm not gonna tear a team apart because we didn't win a basketball game and they're young," she said. "Did you ever run an offense with a freshman? That'll change your hair color real quick."
Led by sophomore guard Allison Curtin's 12 points, Illinois' young players took center stage. On the opposite bench, Carr and forward Rashana Barnes did the same, scoring 11 and 12 points, respectively.
"Because Dre was in foul trouble, I knew I had to take her place," Barnes said. "I had to play out of myself and just go all out."
And for one night, Barnes and the rest of the Lions made the preseason polls look accurate.
