After the latest installment of As the Big Ten Turns last night, first place Ohio State finds 5 teams nipping at their heels in a tie for second place.

Wisconsin secured their much needed second conference win of the season with a dominating 79-52 victory over Penn State. The Badgers had four players in double figures and only turned the ball over five times. The Lady Lions struggled from the floor, shooting 34%.

Michigan State used a game winning shot by Alyssa DeHaan, balanced scoring and the return of Mia Johnson to the starting line-up to down Illinois 65-62 on the road. Johnson, who is coming off an ACL injury from the off-season, scored a season high 20 for the Spartans.

Michigan continued its turnaround this season by defeating Indiana 67-59. It was their fifth conference win on the season and 8th straight home win (their best home start in school history). Carly Benson led four players in double figures with 22 points.

Iowa may be the hottest team in the league as they won their third straight game, this time taking down Purdue 69-53. Kristi Smith led all scorers with 19 and Megan Skouby added 17 off the bench for the Hawkeyes.

The performance of the night in the league belongs to Minnesota's Leslie Knight who led the Gophers to a 79-70 win over Ohio State. Knight scored a career high 33 in a feat described by her coach as unbelievable. "It was a great win for our team and one we needed right now for the standings," said Gophers coach Pam Borton. While the Gophers need to win on Sunday against Michigan State to keep the momentum going, they are starting to get the attention of the local columnists again.