When Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland scheduled the nation's second-toughest non-conference slate, she wanted not only to produce confidence in her team's talent, but also to toughen it for a run at a third straight Big Ten title.

The Lady Lions have certainly taken their lumps so far at 8-6 (5-6 against non-conference foes), but the early test might be sprouting new life in the second part of the season.

Penn State beat two of the five top-10 teams it played this season, and what seemed like a possible mistake to schedule the likes of Duke, Texas and Baylor might be paying dividends now. The Lady Lions have started out where they left off last season in Big Ten play, winning their first three games, including two against top-25 teams.

"We're very pleased to be 3-0 in the conference," Portland said after Saturday's game at Wisconsin. "I'm pleased that this team knows what to do to be good in the Big Ten."

Seven of the Lady Lions' 11 non-conference games were on the road, leading to a dismal 1-6 record away from the Bryce Jordan Center. Sure, they picked up big wins at home against then-No. 2 North Carolina and No. 9 Ohio State, but to compete in March, teams must be able to win on the road.

On Thursday, Penn State finally got a meaningful road win (its only other road win came against unranked Pittsburgh in overtime) against the last unbeaten team in the country, No. 18 Iowa, 77-71.

Penn State also beat Wisconsin Saturday in Madison, sticking to the formula for success in the conference in recent years.

"In the Big Ten Conference you must win at home and steal on the road," Portland said after beating Ohio State, "so you have to protect your house."

A trio of guards has been the biggest reason for the early Big Ten surge. Seniors Tanisha Wright and Jess Strom know what it takes to win in the conference, and sophomore Jen Harris has stepped up as a third scoring threat.

Strom poured in a career-high 29 points against Iowa and nearly had a triple-double against Ohio State (nine points, nine assists, 12 rebounds). Harris has averaged nearly four points better in the three conference games, and Wright leads the conference in scoring with 20.1 points per game.

In many cases, the type of non-conference schedule Penn State played might have destroyed a team, but not with the kind of veteran leadership this team has.

"We're not real good on the road," Portland said after the Ohio State game. "Our goal is to break down the season in little increments right now so that it's touchable and doable. These three [Marquette, Iowa, Wisconsin] staring us right in the face will give us confidence proceeding into the Big Ten if we can get things done on the road. That's the biggest part right now is learning how to win on the road."

Though the Lady Lions lost to Marquette 63-51, the two wins against Iowa and Wisconsin set the team up for the second half of the season. Seven of the remaining 13 games are at home, including games against No. 10 Michigan State, No. 12 Minnesota and No. 20 Purdue.

Rematches against Purdue and Ohio State serve as the only ranked opponents that Penn State plays on the road the rest of the way. Ohio State is the last game of the regular season, and the conference championship might hinge on it.

Portland and Company are hoping that starting out the season against Texas and Duke will translate into a late-season rush heading into the tournament.