Something was missing Monday from IU’s 72-55 win against Purdue. This something had been there for every IU women’s basketball game over the past two seasons.
This something was actually a someone.
This someone was Taylor Agler.
The sophomore guard had started in each of the first 49 games of her IU career. Then, she did not start Jan. 11 in a 69-52 over Wisconsin due to an ankle injury. She has not started a game since then, but she still always played.
Monday, Agler did not play a single minute against rival Purdue. Nobody really noticed. No one asked about it in the post-game press conference.
It was not due to injury.
“It was just a game decision,” IU Coach Teri Moren said.
Sophomore guard Karlee McBride took some of the minutes that may have been Agler’s. She scored nine points and had three rebounds in the victory.
“It wasn’t a matter of Taylor doing anything wrong,” Moren said. “Karlee was just really good.”
Agler has had her role diminish since her ankle injury. Fellow sophomore guard Alexis Gassion started in her place against Wisconsin and had 16 rebounds. Moren has liked Gassion’s athleticism and versatility as she can guard multiple positions. She had 12 points and seven rebounds Monday night.
While McBride and Gassion have taken some of Agler’s time, it was an unexpected contributor that kept Agler out all game.
“I’ll tell you who came in and really helped us and made a difference was Lyndsay Leikem,” Moren said.
The sophomore forward was averaging 8 minutes a game in the Big Ten season heading into Monday night. She was on the court for 24 minutes against Purdue.
She compiled eight rebounds, but it was what she brought defensively that Moren appreciated most. Moren said Leikem did a tremendous job guarding the four, which meant Gassion did not have to spend as much time guarding post players.
This change was not permanent, but that does not mean it will never happen again. Each game brings a different opponent and different skillsets to match up with.
“When you get in the Big Ten it’s always about matchups,” Moren said.
For instance, freshman guard Jess Walter has been playing 20.9 minutes per Big Ten game. She only played nine minutes Monday because she was not playing well against Purdue, Moren said.
No spot seems to be set in stone as parts are constantly changing while the Hoosiers stand 3-7 in conference play. It all depends on who is doing their job best.
“It’s that matter of which kid is going to show up?” Moren said. “Which kid is going to be really sound defensively?”
