COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Penn State Tops Women’s Teams

Penn State is the first team from the Northeast and 13th school ever to be named No. 1 in the weekly Associated Press women’s basketball poll.

Penn State (9-0), fourth last week, beat season-long No. 1 Virginia 73-71 on the road on a last-second shot by Shelly Caplinger on Thursday. The loss dropped the Cavaliers, who had been No. 1 for the first seven polls of the season, to No. 2.

The Lions also got some help when North Carolina State, ranked second last week, lost at Clemson and Purdue, ranked third last week, lost to Auburn in the Big Ten-SEC Challenge double-header on Saturday.

It’s the first time since the poll began at the start of the 1976-77 season that the top three teams lost in the same week.

The ranking completes the most dramatic rise in the poll in one season by a team. The Lions, who play at Duquesne tonight, were 18th in the preseason poll. The previous 12 No. 1 teams all began their seasons ranked in the Top 10.

North Carolina State (11-1) fell to third with one first-place vote and 1,392 points.

Tennessee (10-2) is fourth with two first-place votes and 1,389 points.

Iowa (6-4), Long Beach State (6-4) and Louisiana Tech (5-4) ended long appearance streaks in the Top 20. Iowa ended a Top 20 ranking streak of 90, Long Beach State’s run ended at 206 and Louisiana Tech’s at 211.

THE TOP 25 The top 25 teams in the AP women’s college basketball poll. 1. Penn State (57) 9-0

2. Virginia (3) 12-1

3. N.C. State (1) 11-1

4. Tennessee (2) 10-2

5. Auburn (1) 11-2

6. UNLV (1) 11-0

7. Purdue 10-1

8. Georgia 9-2

9. Stanford 8-3

10. Rutgers 10-0

11. Northwestern 8-2

12. Clemson 9-1

13. Washington 10-1

14. Arkansas 11-2

15. LSU 9-2

16. Mississippi 9-2

17. W. Kentucky 11-1

18. Connecticut 10-2

19. Providence 11-1

20. Texas 7-4

21. Iowa 6-4

22. Long Beach State 6-4

23. Louisiana Tech 5-4

24. Notre Dame 7-3

25. Oklahoma State 11-2

(1st-place votes in parentheses)