IU fought for another tough win Wednesday at Butler University, clawing its way to a 64-53 final line.
It was not clean game by any stretch, with IU committing a season-high 21 turnovers and getting outrebounded 14-11 on the offensive glass. But the one thing the IU did have going for it in Indianapolis, was a full roster.
Sophomore guard Grace Berger returned for the first time since the Washington State University game at the Paradise Jam, and junior guard Bendu Yeaney made her season debut, marking the first time this year IU’s roster was at full strength.
“I’ll say this, we’ve got a good problem,” IU head coach Teri Moren said. “We’ve talked about it; the best part about this team is its depth.”
Berger put up 12 points, three rebounds and three assists while making the start, while Yeaney chipped in three points, a rebound, a steal and an assist in just 10 minutes off the bench.
The numbers were far from the absolute ceiling that these two can provide for the Hoosiers.
When fully in the swing of things, Berger is a lock to average 15 or more points like she was before her concussion.
As for Yeaney, it’s less about scoring and more about her passing and lockdown defense.
More than anything, it was evident that the biggest contribution these two had on their coaches and teammates was a calming one.
Berger, despite her team-high six turnovers, gave the Hoosiers the ball handling and shot creating that had been missing outside of junior guard Ali Patberg in their last couple of games. As a result, Patberg got freed up enough to score 14 points.
“I was rusty, didn’t play my best,” Berger said. “But it was still just great to be out there with my teammates.”
Yeaney turned the ball over a couple times herself but made up for it with a flashy pass under the basket for an assist and a vintage steal.
With 1:54 to go in the third quarter, Yeaney picked the pocket of a Butler player and in four seconds ran almost the entire length of the floor for an easy lay in.
“Her steal-runout — that looked like Bendu Yeaney,” Moren said.
Perhaps even better for IU, with a full complement on the bench, the Hooosiers can easily go nine or 10 players deep in their rotation, an advantage clearly evident Wednesday night.
The Hoosiers outrebounded, outscored and outplayed the Bulldogs in the second half, allowing themselves to pull away.
It’s a distinct advantage that allowed them to get past their 21 turnovers, and it is a distinct advantage that will allow them to have great success in the Big Ten.
IU will face some tough decisions regarding the construction of their rotation now that its back to maximum capacity. Namely, relegating Yeaney — a starter all of last year — to the bench for the foreseeable future.
“What’s great about our team is we’re deep,” Patberg said. “We can play a lot of people, but we also trust one another.”
For now, the Hoosiers are just glad they could celebrate the band getting back together with a win.
