It was bound to happen sooner or later. After a month of playing eight of nine games in such far away places as Berkeley, Calif. and Kingston, R.I., the women's basketball team was apt and able to rise to top form.

All the traveling, changing of schedules and competing against lesser-rated Atlantic 10 teams, such as Rhode Island and Massachusetts, had taken its toll. And even though the No. 2 Lady Lions kept rolling along with easy victories, the team knew is wasn't playing up to its total potential.

But after starting a new semester, getting back to a regular practice schedule and lifting weights once again, the team struck back in a powerful way on Saturday, in a 106-60 mauling of West Virginia.

"I've never had 100 points scored on me," Lady Mountaineers' coach Scott Harrelson said. "We just got devastated today (Saturday)."

After Thursday's 95-42 cakewalk over Duquesne, Coach Rene Portland and members of the team echoed that its performance in the early going was sluggish and in fact, with less than half the first half remaining, the Duchesses had the ball with a chance to cut the lead to two points, 17-15.

But against West Virginia, the team came out from the opening tipoff, scoring the first nine points of the contest. As the half wore on, Penn State's domination continued to build and build -- and build.

With less than 10 minutes to go in the first half, guard Dana Eikenberg drove to the basket and was fouled. The layup and the free throw extended the Lady Lions' advantage to 24-6. Then on the ensuing inbounds pass, forward Lynn Dougherty stole the ball, passed it to Eikenberg, who found center Kathy Phillips in the low post, who whipped it over to Terri Williams. An easy jump shot. 26-6.

Two minutes later, it was 32-7.

The Lady Lions were awake and well.

"The team looked so much more relaxed today," Portland said. "A few of them have been taking the time to just sit back and say 'How come we're playing like this?' The leadership of our team has really pulled them together."

The Lady Lions' resurgence is coming at the right time. In a one-week span starting tomorrow, they face perhaps their two most difficult matchups remaining on their regular-season schedule. Tomorrow, the team travels to Maryland, an always dangerous Atlantic Coast Conference team and a squad that whipped Penn State by 25 points last year. And on the following Tuesday, No. 9 Rutgers comes to Rec Hall.

It is indeed the time for consistent, strong play.

"We are preparing ourselves for the Maryland game and the Rutgers game coming up," guard Tanya Garner said. "And this is the way (in the West Virginia game) we have to play to beat a Maryland or Rutgers."

"If they continue to play the way they are now and can take their act on the road, they may be the best team in the country," West Virginia guard Rosemary Kosiorek added.