After missing a chance at becoming the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, the Penn State women's basketball team's postseason plans were in question.

Following their loss to Purdue on Thursday, the Lady Lions (19-10, 11-5) would have one shot at claiming the No. 2 spot in their final regular season game.

But to do so, they would have to beat rival Michigan in Ann Arbor on the Wolverines' Senior Day, and they would also need a little bit of outside luck.

Consider all objectives accomplished.

The Lions were able to overcome a sloppy beginning to come away with a 65-47 road victory against the Wolverines (16-11, 6-10) yesterday. The win, combined with a loss by Minnesota earlier in the day, clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming tournament for the Lions and, more importantly, an extra day off.

"This game was really the first game of the tournament for us," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said on WMAJ-Radio. "We're in it and now we're moving in the right direction."

The Lions seemed to be headed the wrong way early, as they opened the game with a horrid 1-for-15 shooting performance and trailed for most of the first half. Penn State's Naismith Player of the Year candidate, sophomore Kelly Mazzante, was 0-for-9 from the floor and scoreless in the first stanza. But Penn State was helped by a poor offensive performance by the Wolverines, and the Lions actually held a 25-22 advantage at the half.

"I think we were sluggish but we had a lead," Portland said of her team's mindset at the break. "We heard that Minnesota lost and we could be the No. 2 seed if we gutted this one out."

After that gut check, the Lions picked it up in the second half. They opened up with 12 unanswered points to take a 37-22 lead, and never looked back.

Rashana Barnes led the Lions with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Mazzante recovered from her woeful first half to finish the game with 15 points, and senior Katrena Carr also had 15 off the bench.

The Wolverines were bolstered by 21 points from senior guard Alayne Ingram. But the combination of Barnes, Jacquelynn Shook, and Courtney Upshaw were able to hold Michigan's "Twin Towers," 6-foot-3 sophomore Jennifer Smith and 6-foot-3 junior LeeAnn Bies, to a combined 16 points. Smith and Bies had been averaging 13.2 and 16.4 points per game, respectively.

The Lions now have four days off before opening the tournament Friday against the winner of Thursday's No. 7 versus No. 10 matchup.

"I think it's nice now that we don't play until Friday," Portland said. "That extra day is going to make a difference."