If it hadn't been for 14 taxis, the Penn State women's basketball team's trip to Columbus, Ohio, would've been an all-too-familiar case of déjà vu.

The Lady Lions (13-15, 6-9 Big Ten) close their Big Ten season without winning a game on the road, falling 78-61 to No. 5 Ohio State (25-2, 14-1) last night.

To start things off on a sour note, the team flight to Columbus touched down in Cincinnati because of foggy conditions, and Penn State had to take 14 taxis to Columbus. The Lady Lions didn't arrive at their hotel until 1 a.m. yesterday morning, head coach Rene Portland said to the Penn State Radio Network.

The inconvenient arrival might have been an omen of the lackluster finish to a disappointing road season. Only losing by two points to Ohio State on Jan. 11 at home, the Lady Lions managed to continue their typical road slump.

"The large majority was a good effort," Portland said. "Then we just seemed to relax. A perfect example was to give [Marscilla Packer] a three-pointer at the end of the game. I think that was her only three pointer of the game. We can't do that."

Even though the final score indicated a dominating win for the Buckeyes, Penn State stayed close for most of the game, rallying late in the second half to come within four points of Ohio State. However, Penn State couldn't find a way to stop last year's Big Ten Player of the Year, Jessica Davenport. She scored 15 of Ohio State's first 25 points, and was a major factor in Ohio State's success on both sides of the ball.

Penn State pulled within three points of Ohio State with 3:35 minutes left in the first half, but once Davenport returned to the court, she helped the Buckeyes go on a 13-1 run and take a comfortable nine-point lead into halftime. Davenport finished with 26 points.

The trio of Davenport, guard Ashlee Trebilcock and forward Star Allen, combined for 65 of Ohio State's total points. Allen scored 22 points and Trebilcock added 17.

"Those two really hurt us," Portland said. "Certainly Trebilcock just came with a nice 12-foot, 15-foot jumper. Kam [Gissendanner] had a tough time playing her."

Penn State also hurt its own chances of bringing the game close in the early minutes. The Lady Lions committed 16 turnovers in the first half, giving Ohio State 16 points off of those turnovers.

For the Lions, Tyra Grant led the team with 17 points, followed by Gissendanner's 16.

Luckily for Penn State, it closes out its regular season schedule at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. against Indiana, a team the Lady Lions have not met this season. If the Lady Lions win Sunday, combined with victories from Iowa and Michigan State, Penn State would clinch the fifth seed in the Big Ten Tournament on Mar. 1.

"It's a big day just because of the day being Senior Day," Portland said. "We owe a lot to the two seniors that we have on our team. We need to protect the [Bryce] Jordan Center, and if we're doing anything right, we're doing that right. So we're gonna go home ... and make sure that we do justice to [seniors] Amanda [Brown] and Charity [Renfro]."