Shots just needed to fall.
It sounds simple, rather obvious, but that was what sophomore guard Bendu Yeaney said was the issue early on in IU’s 65-61 loss to Minnesota Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers shot just 4-of-17 in the first quarter and suffered a scoring drought that went over three minutes. They trailed the Gophers by eight at the end of the first.
The uphill battle got steeper as another scoring drought of three minutes occurred in the second quarter. And after Minnesota shot just 4-of-12 in the second, IU was only able to cut one point off its deficit heading into halftime.
“It’s always the beginning that gets you if you’re not ready,” IU Coach Teri Moren said.
The concerns of missing shots and turning the ball over were among IU’s problems to fix in the first four minutes of the second half. But those problems suddenly looked minuscule at the six-minute mark in the third quarter.
Junior guard Ali Patberg drove hard to the hoop, got tripped up and slammed her right arm into the ground hard. The smack of the wooden court was audible to the 3,398 in attendance, who all fell silent as Patberg writhed in pain on the floor.
It at first looked like Patberg was holding her right wrist or forearm, but as she walked to the locker room with IU Head Athletic Trainer Robert Black, she held her right shoulder.
While Moren was on the court tending to Patberg, Yeaney said the team said a quick prayer and moved on. They had a game to win.
Sophomore guard Jaelynn Penn, who only played eight minutes in the first half due to two personal fouls, began to ignite an IU run by attacking the rim.
Penn scored 10 fourth-quarter points, totaling 18 on the night, and helped lead her team back to within four with 35 seconds left.
After scoring a layup and earning the foul, sophomore guard Keyanna Warthen missed the ensuing free throw.
Freshman forward Aleksa Guble tied up a Minnesota player and created a jump ball with the possession arrow in favor of IU, down two with 26 seconds left.
Coming from the baseline, Penn's defender slipped, leaving her wide open for a 3-pointer that could have taken the lead, but she missed the shot to the right.
Penn said she saw her defender fall down, and she knew she had to take it as she hit a 3-pointer a few seconds prior.
“Was it to go for the win?" Moren said. "No, it was just to score. She had a great look. She was wide open, and it just didn’t go down for her. That’s what you want in that situation is an open shot and that’s exactly what we got.”
The loss puts IU at 17-7 on the season and 6-6 in the Big Ten. With six games remaining, Moren said inconsistency is still the biggest issue for her team.
IU's next game is Monday at Michigan State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
