If anyone wasn't sure about how good the Lady Lion basketball team was -- if the undefeated record and No. 1 ranking somehow didn't convince the cynics -- then yesterday's game against Wisconsin should have removed all doubts.

How good is Penn State?

Good enough to shoot only 39 percent, get only eight points off the bench, miss a bevy of layups, and still beat a tough Big Ten opponent by 20 points?

Yes, they're that good.

Thanks to Helen Holloway's 20 points and Jackie Donovan's four three-pointers, the Lady Lions (16-0, 7-0 Big Ten) romped on the Badgers (10-7, 3-5) en route to a 73-53 win, keeping Penn State perfect on the season and giving Coach Rene Portland her 400th career victory.

"I think today was one we were fortunate to come out and win," Portland said afterward, a statement that would seem supported by the numbers. But despite the Lady Lions' mediocre shooting, the outcome was never in doubt.

With the exception of a 7-7 tie with 14 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the first half, the Badgers were never really close. A 9-0 Penn State run gave the Lady Lions a 19-9 lead with 11:24 remaining, and Wisconsin would get no closer than seven points through the rest of the stanza, as Portland's squad took a 36-22 lead into the locker room.

The Lady Lions' dominant first half was paced by the team's senior co-captains, Holloway and Donovan. Holloway put up 16 of her 20 points before the break, while Donovan was 3-for-3 from the field -- all three-pointers.

Penn State held the 14 point halftime advantage despite shooting only 40 percent from the floor, a fact which once again emphasized the effectiveness of the Lady Lions' defense.

"That's the nuts and bolts of our team --the defense," Portland said. "I think we're getting terrific help as a team. It's team defense - it's not just one kid shutting 'em down."

Coach Mary Murphy's Badgers didn't seem intimidated by the halftime deficit or the prospect of facing the No. 1 team in the nation on the road. Fresh off a nine-point victory over Ohio State in Columbus Friday night, the Badgers posed a real threat to the Lady Lions' ranking, and they showed why in the second half.

"I though we did a great job in the second half," Murphy said, then referred to an early second half outburst that nearly earned her a technical foul while firing up her team. "After I lost my mind, we came back and played a lot better."

Penn State opened up a 55-31 lead with 13:19 remaining in the second half before Wisconsin finally made a run. A three-pointer from guard Katie Voight spurred an 11-0 streak by the Badgers, and with 7:51 left, it looked as if they might cut the lead to single digits.

The Lady Lions went on a run of their own however, putting up eight unanswered points to extinguish any Wisconsin hopes of a second straight road upset.