As Zhaque Gray let the basketball roll off her fingertips, she didn't waste any time following her shot.

The sophomore guard charged toward the basket Sunday, boxed out the NJIT defender and forced a jump ball. Even though the Lady Lions already had a commanding 15-point lead and there were only six minutes left in the game, Gray's defensive effort was well received by a smiling coach Coquese Washington.

While the Lions are just two games into the regular season, Washington is pleased by the much-improved defense she's seeing from Gray.

Through the first two games this season, the guard has recorded nine rebounds and also notched a steal. Playing well on the defensive end of the court is something that hampered Gray during her freshman season, and it wasn't until Washington gave her an ultimatum that Gray decided to focus on improving her defense.

"We challenged her this spring and summer to get better defensively, and I was pretty brutal," Washington said. "I said, 'You score 14 and give up 20, you're not going to play a lot. So you gotta make a decision. Either you're going to be defensive minded or you're going to get a clipboard and take stats.' And she doesn't really like taking stats, so she buckled down."

Washington's challenge didn't fall on deaf ears. When Gray returned home to Chicago at the end of the school year, she immediately began working defensive fundamentals.

Gray said Washington told her the only way she would see more minutes was if she could keep her opponent in front of her and contain the ball. Gray, who Washington dubbed a perfectionist, took it upon herself to solve her defensive struggles.

The sophomore said she knew rebounding drills would help, but she also knew there was no substitute for absorbing contact and physically challenging an opponent for the best position under the basket. So Gray decided to call on some of her most athletic friends -- her male friends that is.

"They're just so much faster and quicker," Gray said. "I just figured if I could keep them in front of me then I could keep a girl in front of me."

While playing with the guys on the hardwood court at the XSport Fitness center in Chicago, Gray began getting a better feel for the defensive aspect of the sport. Making sure to be in the passing lanes and practicing with a lot of intensity helped Gray gain confidence in her play, she said.

When the sophomore returned to Penn State for preseason workouts, Washington didn't have to get on Gray's ability to play man coverage and her rebounding technique nearly as much as she did just one year ago.

After coming off the bench all last season, following shots and fighting for loose balls has landed Gray a starting spot. In 224 minutes played last season, she only had 16 boards, while she has already recorded nine rebounds in 44 minutes played this season.

And Washington couldn't be happier about the defensive turnaround Gray continues to make.

"She has definitely gotten better defensively," Washington said. "She's athletic and she plays bigger than her size really because of her athleticism. She's got so much speed and quickness that she can guard anybody."