Committing two fouls less than two minutes into the game wasn’t ideal for junior forward Amanda Cahill.
Cahill, who posted a career-high 28 points Saturday for IU women’s basketball against Ohio State, was looking to follow that Wednesday night against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The early infractions left her in foul trouble for nearly the entire night, but she made the most of her time on the floor.
With Cahill on the bench for a majority of the night, others stepped up, and the Ohio native contributed enough for IU to knock off Minnesota, 78-62, Wednesday in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“It’s always kind of a bummer to get in foul trouble, but on the bench I wanted to keep the energy and really stay engaged in the game,” Cahill said. “Just because I’m out doesn’t mean I can’t be there for my teammates, and once I come back in just making the most of minutes I get, playing hard and taking advantage of the rest I got.”
Cahill was in the starting lineup as usual — she’s started all 80 games she’s played at IU. Her first foul came with 8:47 in the first quarter. It was an early one, and it meant she now had to be careful.
More than 40 seconds later the whistle was blown again. The ref signaled 33, Cahill’s number, to the scorer’s table, and just like that she was sitting on the bench to avoid adding to the two fouls she already had.
After her 28-point performance, Wednesday’s game could have been a chance for an encore against a less-talented Minnesota team.
Playing just 16 minutes would have made it tough to repeat her outing against the Buckeyes, but the junior used those 16 minutes wisely.
Cahill managed 12 points and nine rebounds in her relatively brief time on the court.
She even had the guts to step in and take a charge with four fouls during the fourth quarter.
“(Cahill) being on the floor is always a better thing for us,” IU Coach Teri Moren said. “Cahill has been in that high post area a lot, and tonight we got to see when she gets in there, she can really score the ball.”
Cahill carried the load Saturday despite the loss to Ohio State. That was much needed because junior guard Tyra Buss has been somewhat held in check in the past two games. Ohio State held her to just 13 points and Minnesota did the same. On Wednesday she was just four of eight from the field and two of six from the line. Nonetheless, she still has scored in double figures in 53 consecutive games.
With Buss struggling with her shot and Cahill in foul trouble, someone else had to step up. It was senior guard Alexis Gassion. She finished with a career-high 26 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists. She was on the floor for a game-high 37 minutes.
Gassion stepped up in a much-needed way for IU in a game they needed to have. Moren said after the game Gassion was the one who stayed aggressive offensively all game long.
Whether it is Cahill, Buss or Gassion doesn’t necessarily matter. What does matter is someone takes charge and the others help in any way possible.
Despite carrying the burden of foul trouble Wednesday, Cahill certainly aided the cause.
“I never want to get to a point with Cahill that I take her for granted, but I’m never surprised with what she gives us and what she provides for us as a team,” Moren said.
“Whatever our team needs at the time, she’s going to do. She’s going to be aggressive, she’s going to try to come up with huge rebounds, 50-50 balls. The kid plays hard on both ends.”
Zain Pyarali contributed to reporting.
