The frigid cold of the last three weeks could not quell the hot streak of the Penn State women's basketball team.

However, eight consecutive solid wins throughout winter break for the Lady Lions could not generate enough heat for Sunday's contest versus Illinois and would prove to be an insurmountable battle to overcome. The No. 9 Lady Lions (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) entered the game in Champaign against the unranked Fighting Illini (6-8, 1-1) and struggled to find a rhythm from the start, losing 75-71.

Illinois took an early 26-10 lead causing Penn State to play catch-up all game. The Lions cut the lead to 43-40 by halftime but continued to make fundamental mistakes.

Penn State committed 23 turnovers and Illinois had 15 steals in the game, but what may have hurt the Lions even more was the poor perimeter shooting by the entire team.

The Lions shot an abysmal 1-for-11 from three-point range in the first half and finished 5-for-21 from beyond the arc.

In a press conference after the game, Penn State coach Rene Portland spoke about the poor shooting of the team and fundamentals displayed by the players on the court.

"That was nothing like what we practiced all week," Portland said. "I think it (the game) was decided in the first five minutes in a big way."

Even with the struggles from the three-point line, Penn State still managed to have three players in double figures including Lisa Shepherd and Kelly Mazzante with 14 points each and Maren Walseth with 20 points.

Walseth also paced the Lions with seven rebounds and three steals but said she needed to do more for the team to win, especially in rebounds.

"We're the No. 9 ranked team in the country and losing to an unranked opponent is unacceptable," Walseth said. "We need to learn from our mistakes in that game. Illinois didn't do anything we didn't expect them to do. We came out quite flat and didn't play well enough to win."

However, previous contests during winter break brought a winning record and winning attitude for the Lions. Penn State carried an eight-game winning streak dating back to a home victory versus Maryland.

The next game was an exciting last second win against then No. 23 Vanderbilt. After that contest, the Lions rattled off lopsided victories against Pittsburgh, UC-Santa Barbara, LaSalle, Minnesota and Northwestern.

Besides the Vanderbilt game, the toughest test for Penn State may have been a trip to Columbus to face Ohio State.

The game would go back-and-forth in the second half, but three key free throws at the end of the game helped to seal a 66-63 victory for the Lions. Mazzante scored her first career double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

"It was great going to Ohio State and coming away with a big win," Walseth said. "Ohio State is always a tough place to play. We really showed our composure."