As history shows, it's no small wonder that the Lady Lions won on Sunday. The team has enjoyed a good deal of success in its 12 seasons at the Bryce Jordan Center and came into the game against Old Dominion 3-0 at home, riding a high after an undefeated start.

But following the season-opening home stand, the mood dipped a bit after five losses in as many away games. And in the past few years, Penn State (5-5) has struggled on the road. So coming back to the cozy confines of its home gym this weekend, coming away with a win was crucial.

"I do think that there was a heavy concern on their minds with winning," head coach Rene Portland said. "Kids are kids, so that was important to get them over a hump."

Penn State is 121-24 at the Jordan Center. Last season was its worst season there (8-6). But for the most part, State College has been a welcomed reprieve from life on the road. In fact, from Feb. 14, 2002 to Dec. 14, 2003, Penn State once won 24 games in a row at home.

And this season's been no different. The Lady Lions are averaging 73.5 points and shooting 43.9 from the field at home. They even refer to the building with a hint of mysticism. Junior guard Kam Gissendanner spoke about feeling the "spirit of the Jordan Center" after beating Notre Dame this year.

When the Lady Lions faced a possible game-tying buzzer beater against Old Dominion, Portland told her team to look around. "Feel it," she said. She told them to take it all in and harness the energy of the place.

But what comes with their dominance at home, is the lingering inability to succeed in places outside of State College in recent years.

Including this year, Penn State is 13-26 outside the Jordan Center the past two season. During the 2004-05 season, the Lady Lions managed to go undefeated at home (12-0) but scraped by on the road or at neutral sites (7-11).

In the 12 years at the facility, the brunt of Penn State's losses has come away from the Jordan Center. So the prospect of returning home was a motivating factor for the Lady Lions last weekend.

"It has been a real tough stretch," senior center Amanda Brown said Saturday night. "We just kept positive, and we knew we'd come back to the Jordan Center and that's a great feeling."

This season, Penn State has only won one of five games on the road -- the season opener at Drexel. And though the Lady Lions have faced two ranked opponents away from the Jordan Center, they also dropped one to Saint Francis, which was 4-24 and lost to virtually the same Penn State team by 46.

But, as some of the nation's best teams have shown, the Lady Lions will also have to feel it on the road to rise to the upper echelon of the nation and the Big Ten.

No. 4 Duke, for instance, went to New Jersey to play No. 19 Rutgers on Monday night. And not only did the Blue Devils win, they did it handily, 85-45. It was the Scarlet Knights worst loss under head coach Vivian Stringer.

Or in conference, look at No. 10 Purdue, which beat No. 12 Baylor by 14 points in Waco, Texas.

Despite struggling on the road and placing so much emphasis on protecting their gym and the Lady Lions don't feel an added pressure when they come home.

"We don't deal with that as pressure. That's just something we do here," Portland said. "We use the Jordan center as a positive, not as a negative."