It's amazing how a successful homestand can reverse the feelings of being stuck on the schnide for the first three games.

A dreadful 0-3 start, combined with the loss of head coach Rene Portland made Sunday's win over No. 2 North Carolina not only that much more impressive, but that much more necessary.

The next step for the Penn State women's basketball team (3-3) is to win on the road -- a task it has been unable to do in its first three attempts. Tonight the Lady Lions will travel west to take on Pittsburgh (6-1), at 8.

The Lady Lions struggled on the road the first three games, but the comfy Bryce Jordan Center gave them the sixth man they lacked on the road. To prove that the last three games weren't just results of home cooking, tonight will serve as a chance for the Lady Lions to get above .500 for the first time this season.

For two seniors and Pittsburgh natives, Jess Strom and Tanisha Wright, it's also an opportunity to get a win in their hometown, something they couldn't do in 2002.

"Last time we went to Pittsburgh we left embarrassed," Strom said. "And I know for me and 'T' it means something. This is the last time for us to go home and play in front of our home crowd."

Two seasons ago in Pittsburgh, the Panthers beat Penn State in overtime, 92-88, despite a then-career-high 28 points from Wright. Last year, Penn State won by 52 at home, with Strom scoring her season-high 21 points to go with nine assists.

Though fellow Lady Lions might not get the same rush from playing in the Steel City as Wright and Strom, they hear all about it in practice.

"They remember the Pittsburgh game too," Strom said of her teammates, "and we talk about the 'Burgh enough that I think it means something to them too."

Acting coach Annie Troyan knows full well what it means to win in front of a home crowd. Right now, however, it doesn't matter whose hometown they're playing in, the Lady Lions need a win away from State College.

"Any loss on the road is tough to take, and we always do tell our kids that we need to represent for the kids so they can go home for the summer," said Troyan, who already felt the disappointment of losing to Villanova in her hometown of Philadelphia.

"More importantly here, we need a road win period, because the last three games on the road we lost."

Pitt won its first six games before losing to Penn State's first victim, Duquesne, on Tuesday. Four Panthers are averaging double-figures, but the offense has been anything but spectacular. Though they average 74.7 points per game, the Panthers are shooting just 38.4 percent from the field, and have 30 more turnovers than assists this season.

It would be easy for a team that just knocked off the No. 2 squad in the country to look past Pitt and focus on Saturday's date with No. 6 Baylor. However, this team has already dealt with enough adversity to count any game a gimme.

"I think we also know that we've come off big games before and lost," senior guard Jen Brenden said. "So it's always in the back of our heads that we can't take anything for granted."