The countdown has officially started for the Lady Lions now that they've passed the halfway mark of Big Ten play.

Just 44 days until the NCAA Tournament, and while No. 23 Penn State (13-7, 8-1 Big Ten) still has seven regular season games and a conference tournament to get through, it's the time of the year when winning on the road holds even more weight.

And for Penn State, winning away from the Bryce Jordan Center is a challenge it hasn't handled well this season.

"I don't like the way we play on the road," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "We got bit by it this past week again. That's something that the [NCAA Tournament] committee is going to look at. As we head down this final stretch that has to be prime-time importance. ... The committee will look at that kind of statistic while they're putting us in a bracket. We need to clean up that part. We have a way to make it .500 and above."

With a 4-7 record on the road, including four losses to top 25 teams, Penn State looked like it might be getting on track with three straight wins at Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana. But last Thursday's loss against 5-17 Northwestern showed that all was not fixed yet as the season winds down.

"We just have to keep our focus," forward Ashli Schwab said. "I think that there were times when our offense wasn't really there and the defense let us down, too. We just need to stay focused and play good defense and know that if some of our shots aren't falling, if we play good defense they're not going to score."

Four of Penn State's last seven games are on the road with the season concluding in Columbus, Ohio, against No. 2 Ohio State (21-2, 8-1), a team that shares the top spot in the Big Ten.

Penn State has the tiebreaker after a 69-62 win against the Buckeyes on Dec. 30, but a road win against a top-five foe at the end of the season would look juicy as the selection committee begins to solidify seedings.

"I hope [the players] see we have been up-and-down, and up-and-down, and we've gotten away with some of those downs by still winning," Portland said. "Going on the road is the focus and that's really where we should keep the focus because we're not going to play any NCAA games here this year."

The Rubber Bland (Wo)man

No, Amber Bland wasn't donning Penn State's new spring line during Sunday's game against Minnesota. The freshman's right shoulder had a gray brace on it after she hyperextended it on Friday. While she still finished second on the team with four rebounds, her hidden talent will be forced to the shelf for some time.