What was supposed to be a physical matchup between two conference rivals ended up leaving one team with bruises splattered all over its pride.

Penn State (11-6, 6-0 Big Ten) used a huge second half to run No. 24 Purdue (10-7, 3-3) out of the Bryce Jordan Center, 77-54, last night behind the leadership of the two senior guards, Tanisha Wright and Jess Strom.

Ahead 41-38 with 10:50 remaining in the second half, the Lady Lions went on a 19-2 run -- 15 coming from Wright and Strom.

"It does take leadership [from Penn State for Purdue] to be down one and then fall apart the second half," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said. "You have to give Jess and Tanisha credit. They're a pretty special duo."

Purdue's leading scorer Erin Lawless played just eight minutes in the first half due to two early fouls and did not score her first point until 11:10 left in the second half.

It was then that Penn State's maturity took over a Boilermaker roster chock full of underclassmen.

Strom scored the next nine Penn State points, six of which came off of layups, including one off of a clever pickpocket of an unsuspecting Sharika Webb. After a Purdue bucket and baskets by Jen Harris and Amanda Brown, Wright scored the next six points.

"I think we were making a run at them and we didn't want them to get a stop," Strom said. "We didn't want them to come back at us. We had it to around five and seven. We just needed to get over that hump and that was what I was trying to do."

The frustrated sophomore Lawless finished with just five points, 10 fewer than her season average, while watching Strom and Wright tally 23 and 22 points, respectively. Strom also had five assists and five steals, while shooting 9-for-14.

Penn State as a team turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, while causing only eight.

In the second half the Lady Lions coughed it up only once, created nine, and shot 60 percent for a season-high of 48 points in a half.

"I went in at halftime and told them we overcoached," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "I told them they needed to just play basketball. In the first half we had them thinking too much.

"In the second half I thought the press on the ball really picked up, and that made a major difference because it forced some more turnovers and they had fun playing basketball."

With Lawless on the bench for nearly half of the game, Penn State was able to penetrate the paint, getting easy baskets and regular trips to the foul line. Penn State outscored Purdue 32-14 in the paint, with Brown asserting herself as presence inside.

She had seven points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

With last night's win, the Lady Lions evened the all-time series with the Boilermakers, 14-14.

It was also the fifth straight time Penn State beat Purdue at home, dating back to 1999.

Penn State hosts No. 8 Michigan State on Sunday for "Rene Sunday," in which Portland will be honored before the game for her 25 years as head coach at Penn State.

A win over the Spartans would be the fifth win over a top-25 team this season and could also get the Lady Lions back in the rankings for the first time since the second week of the season.