After enduring a particularly unpleasant South Carolina run late in the first half, the Penn State women's basketball team trotted back onto the court with a new resolve after intermission.

Head coach Rene Portland's halftime message: Play together. And as the final second ticked away, junior guard Kam Gissendanner tossed the ball high in the air and jumped into her teammates' arms.

The Lady Lions came together then, and they came together to start the second half. They received another stellar performance from freshman guard Tyra Grant and, with a 68-57 win over South Carolina (1-1) last night at the Bryce Jordan Center, and are now 3-0 for the first time since 2002-03.

"Who doesn't want to be 3-0?" Gissendanner playfully asked with a broad smile.

Grant led the way, finishing with a game-high 19 points, 12 of which came in the second half, and attempted 13 free throws. She, along with the rest of the Lady Lions' guards, was a catalyst in the halftime turn around. Gissendanner added 16 points in 20 minutes.

"The whole team should play that way [like Tyra]," Portland said. "We understand she's special."

Whether breaking to the bucket or shooting from the perimeter, Grant and Co. put together another Herculean effort to get their points.

At the end of the first half, Penn State had a good deal of difficulty near the post. South Carolina, which went on a 13-3 run before intermission, used its size and physicality on the inside to even the score at 31-31.

"We were lucky for it to be tied at half time actually," Gissendanner said. "We just let up."

Much of the Lady Lions' strife came from South Carolina's post presence. The combination of 6-foot-5 forward Iva Sliskovic, 6-foot-4 forward Demetress Adams and 6-foot-6 center Ilona Burgrova helped lockdown on the Lady Lions' forwards and made slashing difficult for the guards.

But when the Lady Lions came back on the court after intermission, they got started with a 10-0 and played with a good deal more excitement that was generated largely Grant, who recklessly used her body to penetrate or draw fouls, and sophomore guard Mashea Williams. The Gamecocks missed one of their scorers, senior forward Melanie Johnson, who fouled about halfway thought the second half.