March 20, 2005

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Liberty's first NCAA tournament win was as shocking as the fashion in which it was accomplished.

The Flames outhustled and outplayed perennial powerhouse Penn State in the second half Sunday night, salvaging an unlikely 78-70 victory that propelled them into the second round for the first time in school history.

Katie Feenstra had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Rima Margeviciute contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Big South champions, who were 0-8 in NCAA tournament play before dispatching the Nittany Lions.

It was only the fourth time in tournament history that a 13th seed defeated a No. 4 seed.

Liberty (25-6) will next face DePaul, which beat Virginia Tech 79-78, on Tuesday night.

Penn State (19-11) lost in the opening round for the first time in four appearances since 2001. The Nittany Lions shot 37 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 39-35.

Allyson Fasnacht scored 18 for the Flames, who have won six straight and 18 of 19. Liberty made only two baskets in the final 7:59, but sank 13 free throws - including eight of their last nine - during that span.

The Flames never trailed after using a 16-1 run early in the second half to take a 43-35 lead. Margeviciute made two 3-pointers in the surge and Feenstra had five points.

After Penn State closed to 47-42, Margeviciute hit a 3-pointer, Kristal Tharp scored on a drive and Feenstra added a three-point play to make it 55-42 with 11:26 left.

The Lions fought back, getting three-point plays from Ashli Schwab and Jess Strom in an 8-2 run that cut the gap to seven. Liberty kept up the pressure, however, and two foul shots by Margeviciute put the Flames up 63-52 with 6:50 remaining.

It was 66-52 before Penn State used a 12-3 run to slice the margin to five. A free throw by Feenstra made it 72-65 with 2:13 to go, and the Lions didn't get closer than five points after that.

Tanisha Wright led Penn State with 19 points. The loss prevented coach Rene Portland from reaching the 20-win plateau for a 23rd season.