IU head coach Teri Moren transferred a folded piece of white paper from her left to right hand and continued to hit it against a clipboard on the blue-padded announcers table. Her team’s turnovers continued to self-destruct the offense, and she was not pleased.
“I’m frustrated with our turnovers tonight, but you gotta grind it out on nights like this when you can’t get into a rhythm offensively,” Moren said.
No. 12 IU women’s basketball took too many steps too many times in its 64-53 victory over Butler University on Wednesday. Twenty-one turnovers and 14 offensive rebounds given up highlighted a game IU was fortunate enough to pull away with.
Within the game’s first two minutes, IU had two turnovers. At the end of the first quarter, the Hoosiers had eight and trailed 16-12.
“It starts with the point guard, and I didn’t think I had very good composure tonight,” junior guard Ali Patberg said. “I’ll be better.”
Butler’s defense did nothing special. No full court press, no double teams. IU continued to move before dribbling and threw the ball into the defender’s arms.
Despite the offensive mishaps, the Hoosiers hit 3-5 from beyond the arc during the first period. The team also saw the return of sophomore guard Grace Berger and the debut of junior guard Bendu Yeaney.
Berger was responsible for two of the early turnovers but found her teammates when an opening presented itself.
After knocking down a 3-pointer, Berger got the ball on the next possession and found junior guard Jaelynn Penn in the corner for another three. She also found freshman forward Mackenzie Holmes for an open layup with a clean dish to the lower right block.
After a lackluster first quarter, IU came back with a 15-2 run to take the lead at the half. Senior forward Brenna Wise took charge with seven points and three rebounds. It was Butler, however, that dominated the glass.
The Bulldogs grabbed 11 offensive rebounds during the first half but could not capitalize on second-chance opportunities.
“The carelessness that we played with tonight, the lack of composure, the lack of poise was frustrating,” Moren said.
The third quarter saw six IU turnovers as the offense continued to mishandle the basketball. Berger finished the quarter with five turnovers, dribbling into traffic and losing the ball, or throwing it over her teammates’ outstretched fingers.
Three other Hoosiers also had three turnovers as Moren’s crumpled white paper left her hand and made its way onto her clipboard.
On the upside for IU in the third, Wise and Holmes boxed out defenders, holding Butler to only one offensive rebound the entire period.
Wednesday’s final quarter featured IU’s best ball handling of the night. Berger found her rhythm and knocked down her free throws to finish the night with 12 points.
“It was hard sitting out, but I was really excited to be back,” Berger said. “I was rusty and didn’t play my best, but it was great to be out there with my teammates again.”
Patberg took over the paint, driving on Parker and freshman guard Oumou Toure to end the game with 14 points.
The 9-1 Hoosiers begin a three game home stand Sunday against Youngstown State University. Despite its road win and highest program ranking in history, Patberg said the team is staying focused on improving with every game.
“Coach always emphasizes that we haven’t done anything yet, and we have a lot of work to do, especially after tonight,” Patberg said. “We’re gonna watch film and focus on what everyone did wrong.”
