She's a long way from home, but after last night, she is definitely not homesick.

Hazel Joseph, the 6-foot-3 sophomore from Choctaw, Okla., had a career game last night at the Bryce Jordan Center in the No. 14 Penn State women's basketball team's win over Big Ten rival Ohio State. Her play in recent weeks as a replacement for the injured Ashli Schwab has helped the Lady Lions improve their much-needed post play, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

"It was definitely great, the crown definitely helped," Joseph said. "I fed off of [the crowd] and my teammates. They've been picking me up in practice, telling me I can do this. It was great to have a great game and great to do it in front of the fans."

Last night in front of a home crowd of just over 6,000, Joseph was two rebounds away from having a double-double, going six-for-six from the field with 12 points and eight boards. Both marks were a career best.

"She has shown some tremendous maturity in the last few weeks," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said.

"She had two fouls, I left her in the game, so she played intelligent and ultimately she's doing what we need her to do. We're at a loss without Ashli and we needed someone to come in and take the parts of Ashli and keep this team running."

Her maturity and hard work showed on the court. Joseph wears two knee braces when she plays, reminders of the surgeries she had on both her knees and ankle after last season

Not only was she under the knife during her time off, but she also switched shooting hands in a move that would help her free throws.

"She did a great job rebounding, and tonight, caught the ball and made a left-handed shot that she swore she wasn't left handed," Portland said. "She's working real hard and she's doing a really good job."

Defensively, Joseph helped contain Courtney Coleman to only six points on the night. Coleman is atop the nation in field goal percentage, hitting 75-percent of her shots.

"All practice long Rene talked about containing [Coleman] and just making sure that [I] stay focused the entire time," Joseph said.

Joseph's performance was even more important, given the Lady Lions difficulty defending and scoring in the paint.

"I think Joseph helped them out tremendously," Ohio State women's basketball coach Jim Foster said. "I think she played her best game of the season. I think she stepped up and took advantage of her opportunities.