Lance Stemler must be seeing straight again.
Hit with a concussion during practice more than a week ago, the junior forward missed IU's 54-51 loss to Duke University last Tuesday. Instead of trying to figure out Cameron Indoor Stadium with his teammates, Stemler was stuck trying to solve memory-based puzzles, hoping to prove to team doctors he was ready to step back onto the court.
He made his case before IU's 74-57 win over the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Saturday, but played just 12 minutes -- below his season average of 33.5 -- in the win.
In the first half Wednesday night, Stemler had all the post-concussion proof he needed.
Back in the starting lineup, the IU forward scored 14 points, including three 3-pointers on four attempts in the first half, to lead IU in a 92-40 blowout of Western Illinois University.
Stemler played 20 minutes, considerably more time on the floor than he got against Charlotte, when he said that, even though the game was almost a week after his concussion, his legs were still wobbly and weak.
"The first few minutes I was out there (against Charlotte) I felt good," Stemler said Tuesday. "But my legs were a little wobbly there just for the first few minutes just because I hadn't really ... I had done some running, but I was really limited on what I could do."