Defense, rebounding keys Hoosiers in victory; bench scores 49 points versus Charlotte

Defend and rebound. As long as the IU men's basketball team can do those two things effectively, IU coach Kelvin Sampson will be satisfied.\nThe Hoosiers defeated the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 74-57 Saturday night in Assembly Hall and held the 49ers to just 34 percent shooting from the field while also outrebounding them 46-34.\nSampson said after the victory that he is beginning to see his team's identity take shape.\n"We're creating some habits around here," he said. "(We're) trying to get our kids to be good at something. A lot of coaches talk about an identity. We're starting to get one: defend and rebound. ... Holding Duke to 34 percent on the road, holding Charlotte to 34 percent, that means you're defending."\nIn addition to the Hoosiers' strong rebounding and defensive performance, the IU bench exploded for 49 points in the contest. Junior A.J. Ratliff led the Hoosiers with 18 points and was one of four IU players to score in double digits. Forward D.J. White notched a double-double in the victory -- the fourth of his career -- with 13 points and 12 boards on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. Senior guard Earl Calloway scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. \nJunior Lance Stemler, who sat out Tuesday night's game against Duke with a concussion, returned to action Saturday night and contributed 10 points and three rebounds in just 12 minutes of play. \n"Remember that layup he missed in the first half? I told him I hope he's still got amnesia," Sampson said jokingly after the game.\nStemler entered the game with 5:15 remaining in the first half, which marked his first action in more than a week. Sampson said Stemler didn't practice all week and wasn't cleared to play by team doctors until after the team's shootaround Saturday morning. \n"His concussion was pretty bad," Sampson said. "There's a test that you give those kids when you have a concussion like his. You know like with a burn patient there's first degree, second degree, third degree. His would have been a third-degree concussion. ... I've had a lot of kids with concussions, but not one that had amnesia like that over that period of time."\nSampson explained after the game that Stemler is one of a few IU players he believes is beginning to realize his individual role on this year's team. The first-year Hoosier coach labeled Stemler a "shot-maker" and said junior Mike White is also beginning to recognize his role for the Hoosiers. \n"This is about the time when that's gonna happen," Sampson said. "Knowing your role, that's not even in their hemisphere the first two or three games. They're just trying not to mess up. They're not a team yet. We're still a work in progress, but we're still a lot better today than we were a month ago, or two weeks ago. And that's what you should be concerned with right now with this bunch, is how you can control just improvement and getting better."\nSenior guard Errek Suhr made his first collegiate start against the 49ers but struggled in the game with three points and one assist in 13 minutes of play. Calloway, along with Ratliff and senior Rod Wilmont, was benched for most of the second half against Duke University on Tuesday night but came off the bench and grabbed five boards in addition to his 12 points. Calloway said after the game that his coach's "message" struck a chord with a the three players.\n"We just had to come out and respond, just come out here and compete, and help the team, lead the team and win," Calloway said. "Coach says attack, so we're gonna attack. We're gonna take anything that the defense gives us. So that's our approach from now on"