With one play, Mashea Williams was able to sway the tenor of a game that was not going in her team's favor.

Less than a minute into the second half, Williams poked herself between two Minnesota players at the top of the key, intercepted a poorly thrown pass and took off on a fast break. She converted the lay-up and in doing so, drew a foul. She added another point at the free-throw line.

Her early bucket was the catalyst for Penn State's big turnaround -- a 16-2 run to open everything up following intermission.

"We all came in at halftime and were talking about how we need to pick up defense," Williams said. "They were getting a lot of transition baskets, so as a team we knew we had to step up and pressure the ball more."

Junior guard Kam Gissendanner followed Williams' lead, nailing two back-to-back buckets, including a three-pointer. Gissendanner's baskets gave the Lady Lions their first lead and they held it for the rest of the game.

Penn State (13-13, 6-7 Big Ten) was ugly offensively in the first half and went down five points at the intermission. Minnesota (14-13, 6-8), living up to its hallmark, had a strong defensive first half. In fact, it looked like the Lady Lions were on their way to a rare Bryce Jordan Center loss.

During halftime, head coach Rene Portland said she, coupled with the team captains, told the team what direction to take.

"Mashea coming out and getting a quick start for us was a big, big thing," Portland said. "She listened well, I guess."

Williams, a sophomore guard who played 25 minutes, finally kicked Penn State into gear. She enlivened the quiet bench with her bucket, which proved to be the pivot point.

"I thought that changed to course of the game," Minnesota head coach Pam Borton said. "You go on a 16-2 run, that's the difference."

Penn State out-scored Minnesota by 14 points in the second half.

Despite scoring the critical basket, Williams had a relatively subdued night in the broader scope. She finished with seven points, one assist, two steals and two turnovers. Five of her points came in the second half.

Last night's game was Williams' first game back in the starting lineup since the end of January. She missed two weeks with a viral infection that damaged the skin on her hands, feet and torso.

"It feels good," said a smiling Williams of returning to the starting lineup. "I mean, I don't think I ever was left out of the team."