Injury-plagued Buckeyes suit up goalie, volleyball player

After starting the season 10-0, Ohio State women's basketball coach Beth Burns couldn't help but have high hopes for the Big Ten season. \nBut the Buckeyes' hopes of fighting for an NCAA tournament bid have taken a slight dive. Burns -- coaching a team plagued with injuries -- is now fighting to keep five healthy Buckeyes on the floor. \nThe team IU beat 65-56 a month ago will look vastly different when Ohio State (13-5, 3-5 Big Ten) comes to Bloomington for the 1 p.m. conference match-up Sunday. The game will be broadcast regionally on Fox Sports.\nA season that started so full of promise for Burns has turned into a nightmare. Her team has been weakened by injuries to the point where her roster now boasts two volleyball players and a soccer goalie. \n"I didn't even know all the names of my players last week," Burns said. \nBut the biggest blow came Jan. 4, when sophomore LaToya Turner suffered a season-ending tear to her left anterior cruciate ligament in a two-point loss to Michigan State. It was the second time Turner injured her left ACL; she tore the ligament in a high school all-star game two years ago. \n"Obviously, this is a big challenge for LaToya to face," Burns said. "We will all pull together to support her through her surgery and subsequent rehab. Through all of this, our team is that much closer and fully committed to helping LaToya." \nBefore the injury, Turner, the 2000 Big Ten Freshman of The Year, ranked third in scoring (17.8 points per game), sixth in rebounding (6.6 rpg), fourth in steals (2.54 spg) and first in blocks (2.31 bpg). Turner was named Big Ten player of the week Nov. 20 after a career-high 37-point and 14-rebound performance in the Buckeyes' season opening rout of Cleveland State. \nAgainst the Hoosiers earlier this season, Turner turned in 11 points, three rebounds and three blocks.\nReplacing Turner would have already caused headaches for Burns, but the loss of other key players has thinned her once unbeaten team.\n"At this point, I'm more of a morale coach than anything," she said. "I guess (the injury bug) hits everybody, but to have five season-ending injuries is almost stunning. \n"My biggest challenge is the morale of the team," she said. \nThe team was so riddled with injuries, it only dressed six players in its loss to Illinois two weeks ago. Burns has added two new players to her roster just to be able to practice.\nBuckeye soccer goalkeeper Amber Barnes began practicing with the team Jan. 10, while OSU volleyball middle blocker Dana Stearns adds depth to the team inside. Neither played in the Buckeyes' last game, a 76-63 loss to Michigan.\nWith the sport-crossovers, OSU will likely dress 10 for the rest of the season, but is still basically a six-person team. OSU's 10th player -- nothing more than an extra body if even more should go wrong for the Buckeyes -- is a 5-foot-6-inch point guard wearing a cast on her right hand. Burns has been able to keep relatively upbeat during the entire ordeal. \n"We must be tough to prepare for," said Burns, laughing. "We were a running, pressing team for 10 games, now we're not. Kids are playing 40 minutes a game, and now we can't practice. \n"I'm learning every day," she said.\nAlong with Turner, freshman guard Caity Matter, guard Tanya McClure and forward Courtney Bale have all been shelved with injuries this season. \nMatter played in the Buckeyes' first nine games, averaging more than eight points and three rebounds a contest. \nBut the big loss is Turner, whose absence has saddened many across the conference.\n"She's such an impact player," said Purdue coach Kristy Curry of Turner. "It breaks my heart to see her go down like that." \nCoach Kathi Bennett said she knows the team her squad beat earlier this season will look different Sunday. But that doesn't comfort the first-year coach. She said it worries her.\n"Sometimes it takes the pressure off where you've lost some of your best players," Bennett said. "You can come out and play without fear. You can be very dangerous"