It was not the first time the two players have played in big-time college games.

But, for one of them, it would be the last time she'd ever play in one.

Last night at the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State junior guard Kelly Mazzante and South Carolina senior forward Jocelyn Penn met in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in a matchup of two of the nation's prolific scorers this season.

The Lady Lions won the matchup, 77-67, as well as the scoring duel.

Mazzante came out on top with 27 points, while Penn finished with 21 after a dismal first half, scoring only three.

"I think we did a good job on [Penn], there's no doubt she's a great player, but I think we did a good job stopping her transition lay-up," Mazzante said. "For me just to get a chance to play with her is a great thing."

The two marquee players have been jockeying for position atop of the NCAA's points leaders this season. Before the start of the tournament, Penn led Mazzante by two tenths of a point, 24.3 to 24.1. However, after Sunday's opening round game, Mazzante pulled ahead after her 27-point performance against Holy Cross.

As of yesterday's game, the Lady Lion ranks in fourth place nationally with 24.2 points, followed by Penn in fifth with 24.

Respect was mutual between the two athletes and their teams.

"[Mazzante] is an All-American for a reason," South Carolina guard Kelly Marrone. "You can guard her one way and she'll find a way to score. She finds ways to get open, she reads screens well, she reads defenses well, she's a smart player."

It was not about Mazzante putting in baskets as much as it was about shutting down Penn from hitting her shots. The defensive gameplan was simple to stop her. Junior forward Jess Brungo marked Penn for the majority of the game, but got help from teammate Jess Strom in transition.

"[Penn] is really not in the picture when you shoot the ball, she's not in the picture frame," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said. "She's taken off, I don't want to call it cherry picking, but she runs right for the hoop."

Penn State's transition defense frustrated the Gamecock's offense the entire night, forcing 22 turnovers and 14 steals.

"We were just looking to play good one on one defense against her and help down if we needed to tonight," Brungo said. "We did a great job on the guards so they had a trouble getting it in to her."

By taking away Penn's outlets, the Lions limited her to only 10 shots. Still, she was able to knock down eight of those, the majority of which came late in the game.

"It was frustrating," Penn said. "I felt like every time I caught the ball there was like two or three people on me."

Despite the loss, Penn said she was happy with her four years at South Carolina and looks forward to a possible run in the WNBA.

"I have to look ahead to the opportunities that I have," she said. "I can honestly say I can leave here with my head held high. Overall I'm happy with what I have accomplished at South Carolina."