The Illinois State freshman was still recovering from knee surgery when the basketball season began in November. Once games started, Gietzel had to prove her skills had returned to an extent to warrant playing time.
“It was a little hard. I had a slow start because of it,” Gietzel said. “I tried to keep a positive attitude, work hard and when my time came I was ready for it.”
Having played a total of nine minutes in six previous games, Gietzel found herself on the court for 28 minutes and contributed nine points, four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in a 70-67 Redbird victory.