Everyone stepping onto the floor at The Bryce Jordan Center yesterday knew that Kelly Mazzante would become the fastest player to reach 1,000 points in Big Ten history before time expired.

And while the Penn State guard once again led the Lady Lions (11-7, 3-2 Big Ten) in scoring with 22, it was the team's strongest performance as a unit that secured a 78-65 victory against conference nemesis Michigan (11-6, 1-5 Big Ten).

"It was a great team effort, there was a real focus," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "And they knew what they had to do. It was nice to see them talk about it, and write about it and then finish it. That's the most balanced scoring we've seen."

Five Lions reached double digits, with freshman guard Tanisha Wright having a breakout game, scoring a career-high 17, and forward Rashana Barnes delivering her most spry performance of the season, totaling 15 points while shutting down Wolverine center Lee Ann Bies.

Michigan, which beat Penn State in each of the team's three matchups last season, was led by forward Jennifer Smith, who did most of the Wolverines' heavy lifting in the paint, scoring 22. Guard Alayne Ingram again bothered Penn State, scoring 20, four times hitting from beyond the three-point arc.

"It felt so good -- especially since their point guard was talking all game," Barnes said in reference to Ingram.

Wright made her presence felt early, scoring eight of the Lions' first 10 points, as the Wolverines heavily pressured Mazzante. Smith also made noise, forcing Penn State starting center Jackie Shook to the bench by drawing a pair of fouls against her, helping Michigan to build a 21-15 lead with 7:28 remaining in the half.

The Lions closed out the half strong, however, finishing with a 13-1 run, powered by spot shooting from Mazzante, whose three-pointer with four minutes on the clock brought the crowd to its feet and forced Michigan to call a timeout. The hustling Wright also contributed with a pair of steals in the final two minutes.

"Anytime the crowd helps us out is good for the team," Wright said. "We just feed off whatever energy they give us."

That momentum carried over to the second half, when Penn State established itself, holding the lead in the face of a tenacious Michigan defense that repeatedly forced the Lions to catch the ball moving away from the basket.

"Penn State looked pretty comfortable, they were in a rhythm," said visibly flustered Michigan coach Sue Guevera.

The moment all were waiting for came with 13:16, when Mazzante scored her 1,000th point on a backdoor lay-up off a Barnes assist.

Mazzante then put the game out of reach with 5:14 remaining when she drained a 25-foot three pointer from the "g" of the Big Ten logo on the Jordan Center floor.

Penn State has now won consecutive games in convincing fashion, improving its conference record to 3-2. The team hopes its unified playing can extend to the road next weekend against Michigan State.

"The whole team, we just ballin'," Wright said. "That's all."