If Penn State Lady Lions coach Rene Portland were a proprietor of the self-help style, one-word slogan, t-shirt method of motivation, one obvious word would need to be considered: adjust.

It seems as though it has been the Lady Lions' inability to adapt to both on-the-court and off-the-court circumstances that has rendered them somewhat inconsistent this season. Associate head coach Annie Troyan said the coaching staff has hammered that point home in the days leading up to tonight's home game against an Indiana squad that Penn State (14-8, 9-2 Big Ten) defeated 65-54 earlier in the year.

"Indiana will look at tape just like we will and say, 'We didn't do this well, and this worked and this didn't,' " Troyan said. "We're going to make some changes. We need to adjust better."

In the first contest, Penn State struggled at the beginning and led by just three points at the half. But in the second half, the Lady Lions lit up the Hoosiers (9-12, 2-9) and ran away with the game.

Since then, the Lady Lions have continued to struggle on the road, but when assessing the team's current situation, things really aren't that bad.

First, Penn State has eight total losses on the season, but because of its nearly impossible schedule and numerous wins against high-quality opponents, the Lady Lions have been able to stay nationally ranked, despite being one of only three teams in the top 25 with more than five losses.

Second, out of the Lady Lions five remaining opponents, four can be found in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings, and only one is nationally ranked.

Third, Penn State still controls its own destiny in its quest for a third straight Big Ten regular season title. The Lady Lions currently trail Ohio State by one game, but face off with the Buckeyes in the final game of the season, a contest that will likely determine the winner of the Big Ten.

"If we take them one game at a time and take care of ourselves, we can still win a Big Ten title," Troyan said. "It's not out of our hands at this point. We still are in a position where we just need to take care of ourselves."

And taking things one game at a time means making the adjustments necessary for victory.

One such adjustment is learning how to win when the big guns -- senior guards Jess Strom and Tanisha Wright -- are shooting poorly. It was the inability to function with Wright on the bench in early foul trouble that doomed Penn State in Sunday's loss to Purdue, and its lack of offensive organization when Strom was out with the flu that caused last month's loss to Northwestern.

"I think we need someone else to score," Strom said. "Also on the defensive end we need someone to step up."

The Lady Lions also must be able to make better mid-game adjustments. The team has put together numerous second half surges that have pushed them past some highly ranked teams, but struggled to adjust to what Purdue did last weekend.

Troyan said that this would be especially important when Penn State faces Indiana for the second time tonight.

"They did some things that they don't normally do in the first game and they might change," she said. "We have to be ready to adjust and accept the adjustments that we make as a staff."

Finally, Penn State must find a way to overcome its road woes before it travels to Columbus to take on the Buckeye's. Tonight's home game obviously cannot change that, but a typically dominant home performance would help infuse Penn State with the confidence that it needs to carry with it on the road.

"We've addressed that in so many different ways, but I don't consider it a problem," Troyan said. "It is a challenge, a challenge that we are still trying to meet and a challenge that we still have time to meet."