About 10 minutes after Joe Paterno said that hiring Rene Portland was one of the best things he accomplished in his tenure at Penn State -- and got the Bryce Jordan Center rocking by raspily imploring the Lady Lions to "Beat Michigan State!" -- it appeared as though Paterno's team's offensive struggles were contagious.

The No. 8 Spartans jumped out to an early 17-9 lead as Penn State shot miserably from the field, and one could not help but wonder if all the pre-game "Rene Sunday" activities had rendered the Lady Lions a bit flat.

But the 9,530 Lady Lions fans in the stands had little reason to worry because the two people who matter most to Penn State's fortunes, seniors Jess Strom and Tanisha Wright, never showed the slightest sign of concern.

As they have done time and time again this season, Wright and Strom took the game to the Spartans and helped Penn State outscore MSU 64-39 the rest of the way.

Wright and Strom finished with 24 points each en route to leading the Lady Lions to their third victory over a top-10 team this season, helping to cap Portland's 25th anniversary celebration with a victory.

When asked after the game if she presides over the best backcourt in the nation Portland simply smiled.

"I've been saying that for years," she said.

Yet, as important as her 24 points were, Strom did not have her best game of the season.

In some ways, she had one of her worst.

She turned the ball over a season-high six times and, at some points, seemed frustrated by the defense of Michigan State stopper Victoria Lucas-Perry.

But while her teammate and friend struggled a little bit in the second half, Wright imposed her will on the game.

Every time Penn State went into a lull and needed a bucket, it was Wright who muscled her way into the paint and physically dominated her smaller defenders on her way to another clutch basket.

"Tanisha is obviously a great player, one of the best in the country absolutely," Michigan State coach Joanne McCallie said. "She is a very, very good player, she plays hard, she plays smart, she plays with intensity."

Wright's intensity was on display throughout the entire second half when the two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year played off the emotion of the raucous Jordan Center crowd and almost single-handedly shut down the Spartans' backcourt.

Michigan State guard Lindsey Bowen entered the game third in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage but had a miserable game under the incessant pressure that Wright applied and shot 2-for-11 from the field -- including 1-for-6 from behind the arc.

As a team, the Spartans shot just 31 percent.

During Penn State's decisive run in the second half, Wright repeatedly denied shooting attempts by avoiding picks on the ball side and forced numerous bad passes that created easy steals for her teammates.

Wright currently leads the Big Ten in scoring, averaging more than 20 points per game.

When asked what opened up and allowed her to dominate in the second half, she was quick to give credit to her teammates.

"They were occupied with everything else that was going on," Wright said. "There was a lot of movement in our plays, swinging it around and stuff. I got into the middle a couple times, driving, dishing and getting some easy baskets."