Cindy Davies and Jennifer Harris are former Penn State women's basketball players separated by 20 years but linked by a similar accusation: both women contend Lady Lions coach Rene Portland discriminated against them because she believed they were gay.

Ms. Davies offered a simple message when they were introduced last weekend at the National Center for Lesbian Rights anniversary gala in San Francisco.

"I said 'Thank you. I know this isn't easy, but more people are supporting you than are against you,' " Ms. Davies recalled telling her.

A high-school star in Indiana, Pa., Ms. Davies came to State College the same year as Mrs. Portland, whom she said also recruited her to the coach's previous place of employment, Colorado. She said she revered and worked to please Mrs. Portland, who she said called her "my diamond in the rough,'' and believed "things were as good as they could go.''

"Come January [1982], everything basically fell apart," Ms. Davies said. She'd begun a relationship with a team manager -- a relationship she thought she'd kept secret from everyone but her parents.

"I was pulled into [Mrs. Portland's] office and basically told that lifestyle isn't one that she appreciates," Ms. Davies said. She added that the head coach told her that, if she learned Ms. Davies was or had been involved in such a relationship, there would be nothing to stop her from reporting it to "the university, the press and to my parents."

Feeling trapped, Ms. Davies responded by saying she planned to quit basketball to concentrate on academics. She relinquished her scholarship and returned her Lady Lions clothing. She heard that teammates were advised not to associate with her.

"I was depressed, drank a lot to hide the pain," she said, and once clutched a razor in her hand and contemplated suicide.

Finally, she went back to school at IUP and played basketball for two seasons before graduating in 1985. She attended other schools and worked several jobs before settling in Texas, where she works as a physical therapist assistant and has a partner of six years.

"I always told myself that, if anybody ever had support of family and parents, and came forward to challenge [Mrs. Portland], I would step up immediately," she said. "I've had many years to think about that. I'm tired of holding this crap in. I need to heal, and I need to see an ending to the saga."