UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State Lady Lions are just a couple weeks into their first season under new head coach Carolyn Keiger. The team has undergone a major transformation both on and off the court, and one point of emphasis from Keiger has been the importance of the getting the ball down low.
"We got to get the post more touches," she said. "Lauren Ebo and Alisia Smith need to touch the ball more inside. We have got to get more easy buckets and we got to play inside-out," she continued. "But it's not just about them touching the ball inside, it's about the guards getting the ball in there too."
Since making this statement nearly a week ago, the team has shown improvement on getting the ball deep into the post, either on post-ups or dribble penetration. In the last two games, the Lady Lions have reached the charity stripe for a total of 46 attempts and Ebo finished with a 12-point, 10 rebound double-double vs. La Salle the last time out.
With the ability and success of reaching the free-throw line, the team has stressed the desire to work the offense inside-out.
"Something we always want to do is win the battle of the paint," Kieger said. "We're going to take whatever the defense gives us but obviously look for that inside-out game more than we [have]."
Sophomore forward Lauren Ebo echoed her coach in trying to work the ball down low.
"I think for any good team, you have to work inside out," she said. "Which is what we've been trying to emphasize for the last couple of weeks."
Alisia Smith, a junior forward, relayed the same message.
"I think it's important to our success because as we start to play inside-out, it starts to open up the guards around us."
When it comes to getting the ball in down low, it's easier said then done at this level of competition. Both Keiger and Ebo agree the hardest part comes before the ball gets passed in.
"It's all about positioning, you know doing the work early and winning the battle of the feet, as we say," Kieger said.
"I think the most important thing, other than finishing, is definitely getting position in whatever you do," Ebo said. "Getting position on your post-ups, getting position on offensive rebounds, I feel like that's the main key to success working in the paint."
While the offense is built on playing up-tempo, the forwards are clearly an important and relied on position for the team's success. In the last two games, Ebo has recorded 19 shot attempts, which have almost exclusively come from under the rim. Only Kamaria McDaniel, a junior guard, has more over that span.
Ebo also leads the team with 14 free-throw attempts in the last two contests, 11 of which she has converted. Smith, who is still working on recovering from a season-ending injury last year, has also been getting to the line, tallying six free-throw attempts in her limited minutes.
When in half-court sets, working the ball into the paint is clearly and important part of Penn State's offense, and until the three-point shots start to fall at a higher rate, the post players will arguable be the biggest key to the team's overall efficiency.
With just a couple weeks of the season under their belts, the Lady Lions have already shown improvement, and with some more time to figure things out, the overall balance of the Penn State offense should be hitting it's peak during the season's most important stretch.
