When the game started, it seemed like there was no telling how bad the outcome would be for the Lady Lions.

Past demons of getting out-played, out-rebounded and out-muscled by teams like Connecticut and Tennessee came haunting back to the Penn State women's basketball team as sloppy play by the Lions and hot shooting by the Longhorns allowed Texas to jump out to an early 22-11 lead yesterday at the Bryce Jordan Center.

But the No. 8 Lions (5-1) vanquished the demons this day as they clawed back and eventually dominated No. 2 Texas (7-1) in a 79-59 victory.

"When I have to call a time out two minutes into the game, that's not a good sign," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said. "[After the first two minutes] the leadership on the floor ... did a really good job of running things. They started to run."

In a game that had the potential to either validate the Lions as an elite contender or expose them as second tier team, Penn State left little doubt where they stood on the national scene. After looking listless for the first two minutes of the contest while committing two turnovers and missing their first three shots, the Lions controlled the pace the rest of the way with a swarming defense that allowed them to get easy fast-break points.

Penn State's guard play was key to the turnaround. But this time it was juniors Tanisha Wright and Jess Strom providing the spark -- not All-American senior Kelly Mazzante, who struggled in the first half and scored only four points while shooting 0-8.

"I thought early we did a pretty good job on Mazzante, but later, I thought we lost our focus," Texas women's basketball coach Jody Conradt said. "In the mean time, Wright just sort of took the team on her back.

"Strom just drove us crazy," she said.

Considering an eight-minute stretch where Wright and Strom were the only scorers for Penn State, Conradt's statement is not as hyperbolic as it sounds.

During that stretch, the two combined for 14 points, two steals, one rebound and one assist. After that run got Penn State back into the game, Wright and Strom teamed up again to put the Lions ahead for good.

With the game tied for the first time since 0-0, Wright led a 3-on-2 fast break. In mid-air she faked a pass to senior forward Jess Brungo, providing the opening she needed to scoop the lay-up under a Texas defender's arm and make the score 28-26 -- the Lions first lead of the game.

Less than 30 seconds later, after getting one of her seven steals, Strom found Wright waiting under the basket. Wright caught the long pass from Strom and made the lay-up, sending Penn State to the locker room with a 32-29 halftime lead -- a lead they would hold for the rest of the game.

As the rest of her team trotted off the floor smiling, Wright was still on the floor huddled on her hands and knees, exhausted and battered by an intense first half.

"I'm OK," is all she said after the game when asked if she was hurting or injured.

Strom also chose to downplay her performance.

"It's not only me -- it's everyone looking to pick up their defense," Strom said of her stingy defense. "If one person gets a steal then everyone starts looking for them."

While Mazzante eventually did get her points -- scoring 19 on 6-20 shooting -- she only helped to close out a game Wright and Strom had already won.