Indiana women’s basketball’s bench is averaging 11 points per game this season. Before the Hoosiers’ game against Florida Gulf Coast University on Tuesday, they were tied for 338th out of 359 teams in all Division I.
They shared the 338th spot with the University of Illinois Chicago, which Indiana beat 72-56 on Nov. 7, and Central Connecticut State University.
Early in the season against non-conference opponents, teams can sometimes get away with sticking with starters when the bench can’t get things going. However, in the midst of a long stretch of conference games, the walls can start falling in when those starters get overworked.
Lack of bench scoring often means the starters must play more, especially if the oppositional bench is rolling. In a congested stretch of fixtures conference play, which often entails two if not three games per week, fatigue is guaranteed. And the more fatigued players are, the longer the injury list will likely be.
Indiana’s 82-64 victory against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida, was much of the same. The bench scored 11 points, equaling its season average, which 12th-year Indiana head coach Teri Moren was disappointed with after the win.
Moren pulled starters to start the fourth quarter as Indiana was up by 24 points, but the starters went back in around three minutes later once that lead got trimmed to 19. After the starters came in again to secure the result, the bench returned in with around four minutes remaining.
“I would’ve loved to have left that bench in,” Moren said postgame. “And play those guys the majority of the second half or fourth quarter, but they didn’t give me that opportunity.”
Sophomore guard Phoenix Stotijn was the only bench player to log over 20 minutes for the Hoosiers on Tuesday afternoon. She played 22 minutes as freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey found herself in early foul trouble, with two personal fouls early in the first quarter.
“I thought Phoenix came in and she did some really good things, always does defensively,” Moren said. “She had a couple attacks at the rim that were really nice, so I thought she was game ready.”
Much of the bench, however, failed to make Moren’s nice list postgame. Freshman forward Maya Makalusky and junior forward Edessa Noyan, who played 14 and nine minutes, respectively, both fouled out of the contest with 0 points.
Despite the lack of production, Indiana’s depth still got to see the court by the end of the match. Sophomore guard Chloe Spreen tallied one point, one rebound and one assist in six minutes played. Sophomore forward Faith Wiseman earned four minutes and junior forward Jade Ondineme played her first minutes of the season.
These players were able to earn time due to the starters’ strong performance, particularly from redshirt sophomore Lenée Beaumont and senior guard Shay Ciezki. The pair scored 23 and 26 points, respectively, with Beaumont logging her third straight game with 20 points or more.
The duo also combined for 60 minutes played on the court Tuesday afternoon; a figure Moren wished was lower.
“I’m disappointed that we couldn’t leave those bench guys in,” Moren said. “I really wanted to rest Beau’ and rest Shay, and they have to come in and they have to be more ready.”
Lack of offensive production has been an issue for Indiana’s bench all season up to this point. Despite playing well inside and defensively, Stotijn is still yet to make her first 3-pointer of the season. Makalusky has gone 1 for 13 from range so far, a stark contrast from her Hamilton Southeastern High School days, where her 3-point shot was a crucial part of her game.
Noyan, who had been the Hoosiers’ most consistent bench option thus far, turned the ball over twice and fouled out in only nine minutes.
Overall, all five starters have averaged at least 25 minutes per game, with Beaumont and Ciezki in particular averaging over 30 minutes. If the bench can’t find ways to positively impact the game, then the pair may be overworked heading into conference play.
“We need everybody,” Moren said. “Our window is very small, and we just can’t keep relying on those starters to put us on their back the way that they have.”
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Max Schneider (maxschn@iu.edu) and columnist Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
