It's been a long time since Kamela Gissendanner has looked at a box score and seen such a high number next to her name.

After scoring a career-high 34 points in the Lady Lions' double-overtime victory against No. 24 Texas Tech yesterday, the junior guard laughed when she announced when she last had such a dominant performance.

"High school," she said, smiling broadly.

Gissendanner's performance marks the most points scored by a Lady Lion since former Penn State star Kelly Mazzante dropped 34 points against Wisconsin on March 3, 2002.

After transferring to Penn State from North Carolina State in 2004, Gissendanner was forced to sit out the 2004-05 season because of NCAA guidelines and was redshirted.

Since her return to the court this year, Gissendanner has provided Penn State's greatest scoring threat, averaging a team-best 16.5 points per game.

Despite putting up such gaudy numbers, Gissendanner talked more about her team's impressive 50-minute effort against the Lady Raiders yesterday.

"It's not about me," she said. "This was a collective team effort. I just happened to be the one that made shots today. I just commend my team for sticking in there, two overtimes. Like, we're slim. We have nine girls, so it was just a team effort."

Slim doesn't do justice to describe the Lady Lions' situation against Texas Tech. In the waning moments of the game, Penn State looked like Calista Flockhart with Nikes.

Four Lady Lions -- including starting freshman point guard Brianne O'Rourke -- fouled out, and freshman guard Mashea Williams missed her second game because of a right knee injury.

Gissendanner, normally a 2-guard, was forced to play point guard late in the game when third-string point guard Adrienne Squire fouled out.

Standing at 6-foot-1, Gissendanner was able to use her size to her advantage against the smaller Texas Tech guards, Erin Grant and LaVonda Henderson.

"I was just looking to attack because their guards, I was just able to shoot over 'em," Gissendanner said. "I could just attack them. I got a couple of offensive fouls, but I just wanted to attack."

Gissendanner especially attacked in the second half and both overtimes, scoring 25 of 34 points during the last half hour of game time. Fourteen of those points came in the two overtime periods.

After yesterday's game, Gissendanner no longer has to rewind to her prep days to recall a great game.

"Gissendanner, I just called her No. 25 because I'm not very good with her name, but she made a couple big buckets against us late," Texas Tech women's basketball coach Marsha Sharp said. "I thought that she was definitely the difference maker."