Sophomore guard Jadda Buckley was out of commission for Sunday’s win against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, due to a minor injury in her right foot.

As explained by women’s basketball sports information director Nicole Greiner, the injury is not severe enough to be called a stress fracture. They are calling it a “stress injury,” and Buckley is in a walking boot just as a precautionary measure.

“They found it early. It’s not a stress fracture, but it’s something that we had to fix,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “They put her in a boot Friday afternoon. I was told probably seven to 10 days, so we’ll see. But I would be shocked if she plays against Fairfield.”

The injury comes just after Buckley’s season-high performance at Iowa on Dec. 11, when she scored 25 points. Buckley first brought attention to the issue following the Cy-Hawk game and team trainers jumped on it right away.

“There’s very few things worse than seeing a kid get hurt,” Fennelly said. “But it really came at a really bad time for her, because she had a really good week and was coming off an amazing game against Iowa. Trying to keep her spirits up will be important.”

Both Fennelly and Buckley’s teammates say that Buckley is one of the toughest on the team, hardly ever complaining about an injury.

“Jadda is a trooper, she never wants to sit out,” said senior guard Brynn Williamson. “She’s one of those kids that she wont tell you she’s hurting because she wants to play so bad and help her teammates.”

Because the team caught the injury when they did, Fennelly feels that they can keep it under control. However, because Buckley hardly complains about being injured, Fennelly knows that it more than likely means something when she does.

“Jadda’s pain threshold is very high and she doesn’t like to say anything because she doesn’t want to miss practice or games,” Fennelly said. “She’s a very tough kid, so when she complains at all, you better listen.”

Buckley’s status is currently day-to-day, but Fennelly doesn’t expect her to return until sometime after Christmas. Currently, Nicole “Kidd” Blaskowsky has earned Buckley’s spot in the starting lineup.

However, there are still games to be played, and the Cyclones are going to look to find a way to fill Buckley’s shoes. Williamson hopes that the team just slows down and stays focused during the next few weeks, instead of them trying to do too much by themselves to fill the gap.

“We have five girls on the court at all times that can help us,” Williamson said. “Whether it’s rebounding, dishing the ball for an assist, shooting lights out, just anything. I think we’re just going to emphasize on everyone not trying to overcompensate what were lacking right now with Jadda being out, but just doing one more thing instead of one less.”