One down, two to go.

The Penn State women's basketball team began its three-game road trip with a bang, dismantling Northwestern 77-47 last night in Evanston, Ill.

Sophomore guard Kelly Mazzante had a game-high 26 points as the Lady Lions (14-8, 6-3 Big Ten) beat the Wildcats for the second time in seven days. The Lions have defeated Northwestern (4-17, 0-10) by a combined 65 points in two contests this year.

"It was a really big win for us," Lions' head coach Rene Portland said. "Normally we have a tough time here at Northwestern."

The Lions seemed to have no trouble early on, as they jumped out to a 14-4 lead. The team was sparked by two early three-pointers from freshman guard Jess Strom in the game's opening minutes.

Fifteen of Mazzante's points came in the first half, and she also contributed four rebounds and three assists in the game. Her layup at just over five minutes into the game moved her into 22nd place on the Lions' all-time career scoring list.

"We played really some good defense in the first five minutes and were able to get our running game going," Portland said. "We also got to play a lot of people also, so that helps us with confidence."

The Lions were bolstered by balanced scoring from Mazzante's cohorts, as Strom and senior guard Katrena Carr both reached 10 points and freshman guard Tanisha Wright pitched in with nine. Sophomore Jennifer Brenden also added six points, which matched a career-high.

Penn State was able to score most of its points thanks to turnovers, as the Wildcats committed 24 to the Lions' 12. The Lions also held Northwestern's 6-foot-4 center Sarah Kwasinski to just six points. The freshman had scored 20 against Penn State in the teams' previous matchup last week. The Lions held a 37-17 advantage at the half, but looked sluggish at the start of the second as they committed three quick personal fouls. But after the momentary lapse the Lions' transition game kicked in, and they never looked back.

"At halftime you look at the score, and that's always a danger, psychologically, knowing that the game is yours," Portland said. "We're going to need to correct that (against) Ohio State."

The Lions' odyssey continues, as they will face off against the Buckeyes at 2 p.m. Sunday in Columbus. They will wrap up their three-game road stint against Indiana on Thursday.

Portland said that the road trip would be a test of her young team's character and progress at this point in the season. Judging by last night's victory, this is one test her Lions are ready to pass.