Lady Lions seek 12th-straight win

By Josh Daeche
Collegian Staff Writer

One team has its eyes on the Big Ten crown, while the other is searching for identity.

The No. 4 Penn State women's basketball team will take on Ohio State at 7:30 p.m., tonight in The Bryce Jordan Center.

The Lady Lions (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten) will be going for their 12th-straight win. While the Buckeyes (9-6, 2-3) will look to regroup after being destroyed by Wisconsin on their home court Sunday, 80-45.

Ohio State went into Sunday's game on an emotional high. The squad knocked off Purdue at the buzzer last Thursday when former starting forward Michaela Moua hit a lay-up with three-tenths of a second remaining to defeat the defending national champions.

Since then the squad has had the bottom drop out. First, it suffered a devastating loss to the Badgers. Then Moua, the lone senior on the team, was released from the squad for the remainder of the season. The reason Moua was let go was not discussed.

"In the best interest of the future of the program, we are going to continue the season without Michaela Moua," Ohio State women's basketball coach Beth Burns said Tuesday in a press release.

Moua, started in all 15 games this season and averaged just under 11 points per game, while averaging five rebounds.

Ohio State is a young squad and, without the experience of Moua in the lineup, the team will be even younger.

"We're new and we're young. I think you're seeing what we saw when we recruited these players," Burns said. "Like I said from the beginning, don't cry for me. We're talented, but they're young so they still have to learn.

"Last year we graduated 90 percent of our scoring and 90 percent of our rebounding and on and on and on. We had absolutely zero established roles of any capacity on our team."

Penn State, on the other hand, is loaded with talent and experience, which can be seen all over the floor. Penn State has seen solid production from Andrea Garner, Helen Darling, Maren Walseth, Chrissy Falcone and Lisa Shepherd recently. The starting five has had nine points in all 17 games this season.

Though the Lions are playing strongly, the team is taking it one game at a time.

"I think we just go out there and play," Shepherd said.

With rankings and titles in the backs of their minds, Penn State remains focused on a young Ohio State squad.

"Certainly we're playing well and we're on top of the league," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said, "but you have to be able to handle it and stay focused on yourself."