BLACKSBURG, Va. -- One could point to any number of moments that could signify when the Lady Lions' game with Hampton University was over yesterday.

When the Lady Pirates made only five shots in the first half; after the Penn State women's basketball team scored 15 points off turnovers in the first nine minutes; or when Lions senior guard Kelly Mazzante made two jump shots to start the game.

But really, this game was over before Hampton (17-12) players even got off the bus as the Lions (26-5) finished off their opponent within the first 10 minutes of the game for a 79-42 victory.

The result came as no surprise to those in attendance at the Cassell Coliseum on Virginia Tech's campus. But while Penn State was calm and loose over the weekend, the Pirates were bold and brash for a No. 16 seed at Saturday's open practice and media day, saying No. 1 seed Penn State was just another ball club. Hampton coach Patricia Case-Bibbs said that treating the Lions like anything else would mean "you're defeated before you even go out on the floor."

Confident as they may have been, when seldom-used Lions reserve Hazel Joseph was seen taking it strong to the hoop in the first half, it became obvious that Hampton would be back on the bus and on its way home soon.

Even more telling was the box score after the first half: Penn State shot 59 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes and 44 percent from beyond the three-point arc, out-pacing Hampton in every statistical category.

Could the Lions have been any better in the first half? "I'm a coach, so I'm going to want to say, 'yes,' " Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said. "But the answer is no."

Indeed, the Lions went to work quickly on the unsuspecting Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Hampton. Capitalizing on the Pirates' noted Achilles' heel, struggling to keep control of the basketball, the Penn State women forced Hampton into a bevy of turnovers (16 in the first half) while also hitting most of their jump shots in the early going.

Proud and physical, the Pirates hung around briefly but could not compete with Penn State's quickness and fundamental discipline. At the first television timeout, the score was 9-6 Penn State. By the second, the Lions led by a count of 25-6.

Penn State then mowed down the Pirates and looked like a team capable of improving on last season's Sweet 16 finish. At least, that's what the Penn State players are hoping.

"This year, I think we know that we can make that run," junior point guard Jess Strom said.

As several Lions said afterward, in the team locker room, this game was never about the opponent; it was about focusing on their own game and playing their best basketball.

"We knew that we could beat them, and that we could beat them bad," Strom said. "We had to take care of ourselves."

Penn State got quality minutes from nearly every player on the roster and a little less playing time than expected from one player in particular. While reserves Jenn Brenden (back from a knee injury) and Ashli Schwab logged positive minutes, freshman center Reicina Russell played less and did not start as she usually does because of unspecified disciplinary reasons. Portland said the restrictions on Russell's playing time will be lifted for the Lions' second-round game.

That is a fortunate thing for Penn State, because it will face site-host Virginia Tech (23-7), who beat Iowa 89-76 earlier in the day. The Hokies have strong post-play led by senior Ieva Kublina, who scored 26 points against Iowa. What will essentially be a road game for Penn State should serve as a good test for a Lions squad that wants to show it can win the big games.

And while the business-like precision Penn State used to quickly dispatch its opponent was impressive, the players had to temper their excitement. To accomplish the goals they set at the beginning of this campaign, the Lions will need to prove they can beat the best when it counts -- during tournament time. By the same token, the Lions hope that times are changing in women's hoops and soon, they will be called an elite team. That, unlike this game with Hampton, is far from a foregone conclusion.

"We want to be considered one of the elite teams," Mazzante said. "It's going to take us beating a team like a Tennessee or UConn to put us in that echelon."