This is the kind of game that scares good teams. The kind of game that sneaks up on them. The kind of game that separates the good from the not so good.

And if that is true, the No. 7 Lady Lions (15-3, 8-0 Big Ten) proved yesterday that they're pretty good, beating Ohio State in Columbus, 70-64.

After a thrilling, energetic, fast-paced game like the one Penn State played against No. 9 Minnesota on Thursday, questions were being raised about whether or not Kelly Mazzante and the rest of the ladies would be focused for a tough road test.

Mazzante quieted the skeptics early and often, finishing with 19 points, including five three-pointers.

Things didn't start out too well though, with Ohio State abusing Penn State's post players and giving the Buckeyes an 11-2 lead just three minutes into the first half. After a few defensive changes by Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland and big shots by Mazzante, the ship began righting itself. Penn State rattled off a 12-2 run that included two 3-pointers from the senior All-American.

What's more jaw dropping is that Ohio State played a box-and-one defense that focused on stopping Mazzante. This type of defense, generally referred to as a "junk defense," is something Mazzante sees almost every game that she plays.

"We knew that Ohio State would play a junk defense against us, so we spent a majority of practice this week preparing for that," Portland said.

While Mazzante was slowed down in the second half, her counter-part, Tanisha Wright, stepped into the role she has accepted this season -- a viable second scoring option.

Wright went 7-for-11 from the field and finished with 16 points and seven assists.

Beside the almost commonplace efforts from Mazzante and Wright, the biggest surprise for the No. 7 team in the country was the effectiveness of small forward/shooting guard Jess Brungo. Brungo let fly yesterday, taking 12 shots from the field, including five from behind the arc. The senior from North Allegheny ended the night with 12 points and six rebounds.

Despite shooting 57 percent from the field, Ohio State couldn't get within striking range in the second half, only bringing the deficit under eight points in the final minute.

In what could have possibly been the best "team" performance the Lady Lions have put together so far this season, Ohio State head coach Jim Foster was impressed with how Portland and the rest of the team responded against his defense.

"Mazzante has been taken out of games before," Foster said. "They did a great job of getting the ball into the right people's hands and they adjusted as a team."