The busy week is just about half over.

Tonight at 7:30, the No. 13 Penn State women's basketball team (15-4, 5-1 Big Ten) will stay in Pennsylvania to face off against intrastate opponent No. 20 Villanova (13-2) at The Pavilion.

The Lady Lions will play game three of a hectic four-game schedule this week after home wins against Michigan State and Old Dominion.

Although tonight's game is a non-conference matchup, it proves just as important to win, because last year the Wildcats embarrassed Penn State in their regular-season opener, 74-58.

"Revenge on Thursday, that's not going to be enough to beat Villanova," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said. "They're great shooters. We have to be able to play that dribble penetration, that little jumper, and go after absolutely every loose ball and come home here and get ready for another conference game."

Portland said she was well aware of the packed schedule this week, but that the choice to play four games was the right one for the team.

"We're playing four games this week because in my mind, being home for Thanksgiving for the first time in 11 years, and being home for Christmas for four-and-a-half days was more important to my team than this [four games in a week]," she said. "We have the opportunity to play on national TV and I'm going to take it even if it's at midnight." In last season's game against Penn State, Villanova shot almost 50 percent from the field and hit 13 three-pointers. The Lions went 0-6 from beyond the arch, and shot only 40 percent in the loss.

Penn State will once again look to stop Wildcat guard Trish Juhline, who lit up the Lions for 23 points in last year's game. Coming off a 38-point performance on Tuesday, Kelly Mazzante hopes to avenge not only the loss, but also her mere 6-point showing last time the two teams met.

Mazzante is battling a cold going into tonight's game, but one player who has risen to the occasion as of late is Jess Strom, who regained her starting spot against Old Dominion.

"It feels good [starting]," Strom said. "I like it a lot better than being on the bench."

The Lions will no doubt be excited to make the trip to Villanova, as Portland expressed after Tuesday night's win.

"So we're young, we're excited, we should show a little bit more emotion," Portland said, "and I think we'll be OK."