All season long, sophomore Kelly Mazzante has been the driving force of the Penn State women's basketball team. Last night wasn't much different, as the nation's leading scorer smoked Indiana for 36 points en route to a 62-57 Lady Lion win at The Bryce Jordan Center.

The victory evened the Lions' Big Ten record at 2-2 and gave them a much-needed win on their home turf, where they have won only twice in five previous tries this season.

"We needed to get this monkey off our backs at home," Lions head coach Portland said after the game. "Our crowd was a factor tonight."

That crowd saw the Hoosiers jump to an early lead, which they held throughout the first half. The Lions managed to get to the foul line only twice, while the Hoosiers sank nine of 11 free throws and held a seven-point advantage at halftime.

Hoosiers' senior guard Heather Cassady notched 11 points in the first half and center Jill Chapman added 10. The Lions, plagued all season by a lack of consistent post play, had some difficulty containing the 6-5 Chapman under the basket. Still, sophomore center Jackie Shook held her own defensively against Chapman in just her second career start.

Sophomore Courtney Upshaw subbed for Shook early in the second half and grabbed three offensive rebounds against Chapman. She also added some much-needed offense, sinking seven points against her counterpart. Upshaw noted the challenge that Chapman presented to the Lions.

"She's very physical inside," Upshaw said. "She uses her body really well and she's tall, so you really have to work hard to keep her up off the block where she's uncomfortable shooting."

Upshaw's play against Chapman seemed to awake the Lions from their slumber and allowed them to finally take the lead with less than 13 minutes remaining in the game. After a steal and layup by Upshaw and a subsequent free throw, Mazzante gave the team a 40-39 advantage with a jumper from beyond the foul line. The rejuvenated Lions would hold the lead for the rest of the game.

"I don't think I've been that excited in a long time," Mazzante said of Upshaw's strong play. "Look how the crowd got, look how our team got. I know I was excited because it's nice to see her go after the ball and put it back up."

Portland praised the efforts of both Shook and Upshaw at a position that has hurt the Lions throughout the year.

"We have a point guard and we have a shooter, we just need a post to step up," Portland said. "It was nice tonight, one gave us offense and one gave us defense."

The Lions' fortunes at the foul line increased significantly in the second half, as Mazzante shot 11-11 from the line. She also hit seven of 15 field goals and was 2-4 from three- point range in the second half.

"In the first half, I was taking some crazy shots," Mazzante said. "I decided that I needed to come out in the second half and be more patient, and take what they give me."

Mazzante is now just 15 points shy of 1,000 for her career, and at her current pace there are sure to be many more points to come.