A certain mystique comes from being the first freshman to ever lead the Big Ten in scoring. Being named the National Freshman of the Year and the 2001-02 Big Ten Co-Preseason Player of the Year are a few more accolades that will get you noticed around Division I women's basketball.

This is how it will be from now on for Lady Lions guard Kelly Mazzante. There will be no more sneaking up on opponents. She is no longer just another cog in the machine. Simply put, at almost every juncture of every game, Mazzante is the most dangerous weapon Penn State has on the floor.

"She's a marked person," Penn State coach Rene Portland said.

That statement certainly held true on Friday night in the Lady Lions' disappointing 74-58 opening loss at the hands of Villanova. Mazzante, playing despite suffering a concussion last Friday during practice, finished with just six points on 3-11 shooting from the field.

"It was no fault of her own that she had a concussion," Portland said. "When you have a concussion, you're spacey. She was trying to do too much."

The sophomore guard was repeatedly double-teamed in the opening 20 minutes of play, and faced steady pressure from a slew of Wildcat defenders.

"We just kept running people at her," said Villanova coach Harry Perretta. "Obviously she didn't shoot the ball well. Last year, the players she played with were very experienced. This year she's experienced, so she has to do more."

Unfortunately, neither Mazzante nor anyone else was able to score consistently from outside on Friday. Rashana Barnes gave the team a solid inside presence despite playing on two bad knees, and Jess Brungo added some points late in the contest. But without anyone to spread the Wildcats defense by hitting from outside, the Lady Lions were in trouble.

Scoring from three-point territory certainly wasn't a problem for Villanova. The Wildcats hoisted up a gaudy 27 triples, and made 13, accounting for over half of their 74 total points. Katie Davis and Trish Juhline were the keys to the Villanova three party, making 10 of those 13 from downtown.

As for Mazzante and the rest of the Lady Lions, there is nowhere to go but up. Whether or not the unanimous preseason All-Big Ten selection's concussion had any effect on her game is anyone's guess. However, despite her struggles, there were certainly a few positive signs for Mazzante.

For starters, the Montoursville native helped spark a run that narrowed the Wildcat lead near the end of the first half. Taking a pass from Tanisha Wright, she sank a 10-foot baseline jumper for her first points of the new season.

Even with Villanova up by eight at intermission, Penn State didn't give up. After trading baskets to begin the second half, Barnes made a terrific steal and was able to spring Mazzante loose for a picture-perfect lay-in at the other end of the court.

Any loss hurts, especially on opening night in front of hometown fans. But it's a long season, and Penn State will have plenty of chances for redemption. Rene Portland knows this, and as the season progresses, Mazzante and the other Lady Lions will learn it as well.

"You set goals," Portland said. "But when you don't meet your goals, you don't just walk away.

"This team is very, very close off the court. We need to take that closeness off the court and put it on the court."