“We really want to score in the paint,” head coach Suzy Merchant said. “Even if we’re kind of in that spread offense, we’re trying to get a piece of the paint to try to create offense a little bit through inside-out attack.”

Merchant said it is key for the team to rely on getting the ball down low due to the streakiness that the outside shot can present.

“I don’t think we’re a great jump-shooting team,” she said. “We do a good job of sharing the ball, but I think that could come back to haunt you. I like the fight in (the girls down low), and I do like that we’re having that inside-out attack.”

Senior forward Courtney Schiffauer had nine rebounds to go with her six points and said if MSU succeeds inside, this can be a really solid team.

“Our posts down there, both (sophomore forward) Becca (Mills) and (sophomore center) Jasmine (Hines) are just monsters,” Schiffauer said. “When you get the ball down there, there’s really no stopping them. They’re just doing a good job of getting fouled and getting into people and finishing.”

With the talented shooters MSU has, Schiffauer said the strong inside play can open up the outside shot.

“We have the players that can do that,” she said. “For the guards to get the ball inside and then once they take that away, we can get it back out to the guards. We have a good balance on the floor.”

Mills said the outside shot can be spotty to rely on and that good post play is key to a solid team and successful season.

“We definitely have strength inside, and we have good shooters on the team, but there definitely are nights where the shot doesn’t fall, so we need to have that game for us on the inside,” Mills said.

Still, for Hines, the Virginia Tech game wasn’t all about the play under the rim, but it was the first time it was an evenly distributed game.

“Lately, it’s kind of been like the guards will have a good game, or the post will have a good game, but tonight we all evenly, across the board, contributed,” Hines said. “We really worked this week in practice just getting low and getting better position, and I definitely think it showed tonight that we’ve been working on that.”