It has passed the first few tasks of the season, but now the true tests begin.

The No. 11 Penn State women's basketball team (7-1) travels to take on Pittsburgh (4-2) tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.

Over the break, the Lady Lions will play in the Surf and Slam Tournament in San Diego, challenge No. 2 Louisiana State and open their Big Ten slate with a game against No. 6 Purdue.

This stretch will be a true test for the Lions and a way to measure themselves against the nation's elite.

"I'm not happy with their goals," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said. "You don't write goals and not take them to heart. Internally they believe in their goals, but I do think it has to become external."

The Lions can prove her wrong during this stretch, beginning tomorrow against the Panthers.

The Panthers have lost two of there last three, and are struggling offensively. They don't feature a dominant scorer, and nobody averages more than six rebounds a game.

The Lions, on the other hand, have been coming up big in the rebound department for a guard-oriented team, out-rebounding the opposition by almost five a game.

"We just have to realize that our rebounding is going to win us games when our offense is not there," All-America hopeful Kelly Mazzante said.

Mazzante's offense has been there all season, as she averages 26.5 points per game to lead the team.

On Jan. 4, the Lions will play their toughest game of the season against Louisiana State (6-0) (televised nationally on CBS) which is coming off a 65-19 shellacking of Alabama State its last time out.

The Lady Tigers don't have a dominant scorer, but have nine players averaging over 10 minutes a game. Matching their depth will be difficult for the Lions.

Another tough task for the Lions will be traveling to face the defending Big Ten regular season champion Boilermakers (6-0).

Two of the nation's best will be on display in Mazzante and Boilermaker forward Shereka Wright. The two were both on the Big Ten preseason first team. Wright is averaging 17.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, but plays less than 30 minutes.

The upcoming stretch for the Lions is going to be tough, but winning will go a long way.

"I think we're coming along just fine, but I think our team has to stay on our goals," Mazzante said. "If we beat the teams were supposed to be beat and just keep getting better every game then we'll be pretty good."

Making matters tougher for the Lions is the fact they most likely will continue to be without the services of guard Melanie Croser, who remains sidelined due to pending NCAA eligibility litigation. Portland said a decision regarding Croser's status will probably be made after the Christmas holiday, but not even that is certain.

In her absence, sophomore guard Jennifer Brenden has stepped up to be one of the first players off the bench. Her sharp-shooting ability from three-point range has added to the depth and chemistry of the team. Also making her presence known is Jessica Brungo, who averages 14 points per game and is second on the team in field goal percentage.

Collegian Staff Writer Rob Riva contributed to this report.