Keller's post play helps Pokes

Lindsey Keller knows she has a problem.

The junior Oklahoma State center leads her team in several categories, though there is one  she wishes she didn't.

Keller leads the Cowgirls in personal fouls, with her season total at 53.

"I'm getting better," Keller said. "Sometimes I just push back a little harder than I was pushed."

The Cowgirls (13-7, 5-5 Big 12) will travel to Austin, Texas, to take on the Longhorns. With the injury status of Kendra Suttles still uncertain, the play in the post rests squarely on Keller's shoulders.

"It's a different preparation than what Texas Tech was," OSU coach Jim Littell said. "(Texas) is very big inside."

The Longhorns (13-10, 3-8) have a formidable threat with the combination of redshirt sophomore Cokie Reed and senior Ashley Gayle. Both players are listed at 6-foot-4.

"They're so physical down low," Keller said. "You have to get mentally prepared that you're going to get knocked around a bit."

Keller's role on the team isn't just to be a "linebacker," as Littell has playfully nicknamed her.

The junior also helps calm the young team when they become rattled, something that can happen often in the hostile Big 12 venues.

"You just need to know your teammates and realize certain situations," Keller said. "Sometimes they need a pat on the back, but other times you need to let them ride it out themselves."

Littell said he wants his player to be supportive, but not while Keller is in foul trouble on the bench. When Keller is out of the game, her absence causes lots of trouble for the Cowgirls.

"We won the ballgame (against Texas Tech), but the previous three games, (Keller) picks up two fouls in a span of about three minutes," Littell said. "She did that at OU, Iowa State, and Kansas State. And it has us playing behind the eight ball."

Keller's importance is evident in her game. Although she only averages 7.5 points, she leads the team in total rebounds with 139 this season.

"She's our best defender and our best rebounder," Littell said. "When she's sitting on the bench, it creates a dynamic for us that we don't want."

Keller, who didn't have a foul in her last game, has a special piece of paper that motivates her to not get into foul trouble. She said it's an essay that talks about fouls and errors. She keeps it in her locker to remind herself of how to control her physicality.

"You're letting them score and the clock's not even running," Keller said. "That's the mentality I've got to take, I just try to be physical without getting caught."