Several things have been constant throughout the Penn State women's basketball team's extended road trip.

Senior center Amanda Brown has put together consecutive 20-point efforts, junior guard Adrienne Squire has made 3-pointers consistently and head coach Rene Portland continues to juggle the lineup searching for the perfect combination.

Unfortunately for the Lady Lions (4-4), the most glaring consistency is they've lost four straight after an impressive 4-0 start. They hope to end their suffering against undefeated Pittsburgh, 7 tonight at the Petersen Events Center.

"I don't think they assumed anything after the 4-0 start," Portland said. "This is really a time when you rally the troops together and everybody... understands that it's doable."

Portland has not found the right formula for success. Sophomore point guard Brianne O'Rourke and junior guard Kam Gissendanner have been replaced in the starting lineup to create more opportunities on both sides of the ball.

"We just did not feel we were getting enough offensive power or defensive power," Portland said. "At those positions, we felt we needed more pressure on the ball."

New backcourt starters Mashea Williams and Tyra Grant will be working overtime to contain Pitt sophomore Shavonte Zellous, who leads the Panthers with 22 points per game. Marcedes Walker provides a tough matchup for Brown in the paint, as her averages of 14.2 points and 7 rebounds mimic Brown's production.

"[Pitt has] a really good inside game. They penetrate well," Portland said. "They're [7-0] right now, so they're feeling good about themselves. There's a lot of good things that we have to be concerned about."

The Lady Lions defeated the Panthers last year at the Bryce Jordan Center. Pitt will encourage its fans to "Gold Out" the in-state rival, complicating an already difficult contest for Penn State.

Portland is thrilled that a once-stalled rivalry has regained steam lately.

"It's good for in-state. There were a few years that we didn't play the game," Portland said. "I'm glad that [Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato] wants to keep it going. We've always had very positive relationships with the coaches that work at Pittsburgh. That's a game that has to stay."

Portland hopes her team has a road win against a quality opponent to build on before they return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday to take on Old Dominion. The 1,000,000th Lady Lion fan is expected to walk through the turnstiles before the duel with the Lady Monarchs.

"I do think that [the players] feel bad. They're a good group of kids," Portland said. "They've worked hard. They still have those four wins and we just need to get them [to] lean much more to the positive."