Less than seven minutes into the women's basketball game yesterday, Michigan Coach Trish Roberts had to call a time out.

Penn State forward Angie Potthoff had just swiped the ball from a Michigan player and taken it full court for an easy layup to give the Lady Lions a 20-0 lead.

Roberts later said she got angry to try to motivate her players. But that did not work, as Penn State pressed defensively, building a 25-0 lead before Michigan could muster any points.

The No. 12 Lady Lions (11-3, 3-2 Big Ten) went on to crush Michigan (7-8, 2-3) by a score of 92-44, capping off a two-win weekend at home. Penn State also held off Northwestern (6-9, 2-3) to win 81-72 on Friday.

Penn State's ability to press both offensively and defensively was the difference between the two weekend games. On Friday, the Lady Lions led by as much as 14 in the first half, but in the second, they faced two ties late in the game.

Yesterday, Penn State didn't let that comeback transpire for Michigan. After seven minutes passed in the second half, the Lady Lions took a 40-point lead that they maintained until the game ended.

"We ran the ball really well and had some nice passing, especially in the first half," Penn State Coach Rene Portland said. "It's tough to keep that intensity up in the second half, but we certainly held (Michigan) to numbers that they're not used to."

Michigan struggled, making 19-of-67 shots and managing only 18 points in the paint. The Wolverines recorded only one rebound and one three-point shot.

But the most damaging stat came on turnovers.

Penn State forced Michigan to cough up the ball 30 times, 16 coming on steals.

Co-captain Tina Nicholson said the Wolverines were intimidated by Penn State's out-of-bounds and overall defensive plays.

"We pressured them big time," she said. "I think they got a little scared, and we turned their turnovers into points."

To the sum of 39, to be exact.

Penn State found a way to score from all over the floor -- 48 points in the paint, 19 off the boards and five three-pointers.

All five long-distance baskets came from sophomore guard Tiffany Longworth. To open the second half, she came out blazing with three consecutive treys, which made up for the two first-half attempts that fell short.

"Sometimes coming out at the beginning of the game, I'm rushing my shots, not setting up fully," Longworth said. "I use the halftime to tell myself I need to slow down and get under control."

Friday night, Penn State knotted seven three-pointers, as Northwestern tried to force the Lady Lions outside. Wildcats' Coach Don Perrelli said his team wanted to take away the penetration of guard Carla Coleman and Nicholson. "But we didn't do well in the first five minutes," he said. "Every time Nicholson touched the ball, she was in there scoring."

When Northwestern finally had some success, the zone opened up for Potthoff, who scored a career-high 28 points.

"Angie gave us some quiet points," Portland said. "I would look up at the scoreboard and think, 'How did she get those points?' "

While Portland said she was pleased to get the two wins, she still wants to see improvement on defense and shooting, especially foul shots, before tomorrow's game at George Washington.