The Lady Toppers haven’t been too secretive about their preferred style of play.

“We’re basically a running team,” senior forward Arnika Brown said. “We look forward to getting transition points. Basically our practice has so much running in it, it’s ridiculous, but we look forward to it.”

Western (2-0) has had few problems applying that fast-paced style to games so far this season, scoring a combined 48 points off of its opponents’ 51 turnovers in its first two contests.

Head Coach Mary Taylor Cowles said pushing the tempo is an effective strategy considering the Lady Toppers’ athleticism.

“I think the transition offense plays right into our ability and talent with this basketball team,” Cowles said. “That’s going to be our first option offensively.”

Senior forward Dominique Duck was quick to praise the work of Joey Carnes, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, in preparing the Lady Toppers to get up and down the floor.

“Our main objective is to score in transition and score off fast breaks — quick hitters, basically,” Duck said. “We’re in great shape, and we give credit to (Carnes). We feel like we can do that on a lot of teams we play this year, which is our ability to run and sprint the floor.”

Western was forced into considerably more half-court sets in its first regular season game against Eastern Kentucky than in its exhibition wins over Lindsey Wilson and Brescia.

But at Ball State on Monday night, the Lady Toppers scored 11 of their 61 points off the fast break and consistently pushing the pace of the game.

Duck said the team knows speed isn’t the only necessary ingredient for a strong transition game — any baskets that it produces must be jumpstarted on the other end.

“You can’t get points in transition without playing hard on defense and getting a steal or forcing them into a turnover,” she said. “That’s a main part of our game.”

Cowles stressed that she has never coached a “selfish” team, but this season’s Lady Toppers are special in that they are constantly looking to make teammates better.

“I think that’s very good basketball when you’re willing to keep your head up and distribute the ball that well and that much,” Cowles said.

Through the team’s first four games, including exhibitions, several different players have shown emotion after a fast break basket by a teammate.

Senior forward Jessica Magley said an unselfish atmosphere on the court makes everything more enjoyable.

“I think we play even better as a team when we’re cohesive,” Magley said. “I think we’re having a lot of fun too and that comes with playing hard on defense and getting those defensive stops that will in turn bring the good offense.”

Whether or not the transition game yields points, senior guard Kenzie Rich said she’s sure of one thing — the Lady Toppers aren’t going to stop running.

“When there’s a loose ball on the floor, we don’t want the other team to get it,” Rich said. “We want to be the team making the hustle plays.”