BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — Indiana Women’s Basketball senior guard Grace Berger has been back in the lineup since the New Year, when she began training on the road ahead of her return against Northwestern.
It had been a month and a half since Berger first injured his right knee on the Hoosiers’ third offensive possession against Auburn at the Las Vegas Invitational.
“We got the best news possible when we got back from Vegas,” said Indiana head coach Teri Moren.
“In the 48 hours we were concerned it might be something much worse than what it was and it was bad but didn’t require any surgery or anything like that.”
With the team’s offensive generator failing and indefinitely out of action, Berger took her place on the bench and grew in her leadership abilities as all she could contribute at that point were positive words and advice for her team.
“She’s been on every road trip, every workout, and she’s already a quiet leader, but I think that’s where she’s grown in the six weeks that she’s been out,” Moren said. “Now her voice — I thought she was great on the bench.”
Moren added Berger gave great advice during downtime and also kept up the good spirits knowing she would be back within four to six weeks. She stayed patient, kept up with cardio and recovery, and watched her team win eight games.
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“They learned how to win without them,” Moren said.
Moren said one of the good things that comes from adversity is that younger kids get a chance to play in big conference games. Freshman guard Lexus Bargesser has seen more play time in the point guard position and is now averaging 9.7 minutes per game.
Freshman guard Henna Sandvik was also more productive, clocking in about 10.4 minutes per contest. Each newcomer grew while Berger healed on the sidelines.
“To watch them on the sidelines we’ve seen a little bit more progress every week and that excites you as a coach but also your teammates.”
On her return against the Wildcats, Berger posted a season-high 16 points and rose to become Indiana’s 10th all-time leading scorer with 1,609 points. She will only earn more as she herself told Moren that she would rather play the full minutes than come out and get tight on the bench.
Moren said staff will decide how much she plays, but she doesn’t have a minute limit. The Hoosiers are just happy to have their star back in time to take on a No. 9 squad from Maryland and other Big Ten foes on Thursday.
“It was just time she needed,” Moren said.
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