Sooner or later, Amanda Brown might call for the ball underneath the basket -- and not get it.

While the Lady Lions have been feeding Brown and other post players such as sophomore forward Romana Vynuchalova and junior forward Charity Renfro the ball, Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said that could change soon if she doesn't see improvement from her frontcourt.

"They're asking for it, and when they do ask for it, they're not doing exciting things," Portland said about her post players.

"So, that challenge is there for them before the guards say, 'We aren't going to throw it to you anymore.' Because that could happen real quick."

Portland still does not see the balance that she would like. Penn State's backcourt is averaging 45.7 points per game to the frontcourt's 27.1.

"The post players, they all give us a little bit," she said. "But I think in the offense they could give us more as a group."

Brown, only a junior, has been given the difficult task of leading a young team when she is young herself. Brown is the oldest of the three Lady Lions returning from the 2004-05 team and has to provide the necessary veteran stability.

"Amanda has been handed the most amazing task," Portland said. "She is the ultimate babysitter."

Brown, described by Portland as a "mother hen," has been Penn State's vocal leader on the court and has been a key player on offense. With 14.9 points per game, Brown trails only sophomore guard Kamela Gissendaner (16.7) for the team lead.

Brown also leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game, and in Tuesday's win against George Mason, Brown tallied her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

While Portland expected Brown to provide a good bit of offense, she's received a much-needed boost from an unexpected source.

Coming into the season, Vynuchalova averaged less than one point per game, but she has found an offensive rhythm in the last two games, her best at Penn State so far. Against Texas Tech, she registered six points, four rebounds and a block. Two days later, she posted career highs in points (10) and blocks (three) while chipping in five rebounds against George Mason.

The combination of her strong play and Renfro's exile to the bench for skipping class has led to a starting role for Vynuchalova.

"When you play, go in and use your time well," Portland said. "She won it by default, and now she's made a legitimate argument for herself."

While Portland would prefer to use Vynuchalova as a defensive specialist, the 6-foot-4 sophomore has refused to comply. She has made Portland's heart skip more than a beat by taking several shots from around the foul line, a distance well out of the range Portland would like to see from her.

Luckily for Vynuchalova, she hit two such shots against George Mason. After the first shot, the radio announcer said that Vynuchalova shot a grin toward the Penn State bench.

"When she took that first shot ... it was like, 'Oh no,' and then it went in, 'Yay,' " Portland said. "When she took the second one, I thought I was going to rip her arms off."

Portland likes to see confidence on offense, but would still prefer her post players play defense first, focusing on developing plays off good rebounding.

If her players play well on defense, the offense will always be there, Portland said.

Until then, when Brown or another post player calls for the ball, Portland wants them to be ready to make an impact.

"You throw them the ball, and they can't be acting surprised," she said.