INDIANAPOLIS – Stephanie White asked reporters if they had a chance to see it yet, then described it as “disgusting.”
Lexie Hull herself acknowledged she looked “insane” when her teammates on the bench tried assuring her she looked beautiful, despite the sizable (some may even say massive) knot located on the right-center of her forehead, just above her eyebrow.
The battle bump — still very visible about 20 minutes after the Indiana Fever’s 95-75 thumping of the Seattle Storm — was sustained during a first-quarter collision with Gabby Williams, who ran head-first into Hull as the two tracked a loose ball underneath the basket.
Both players fell to the floor clutching their heads and play was stopped so trainers could tend to them.
Hull was taken back to the tunnel with a towel over her head, but returned to the bench and re-entered the game in the second quarter.
“I didn’t know exactly what happened when it happened. It was kind of just a clash,” she told IndyStar outside the Indiana locker room Tuesday night. “Looking at the video, Gabby and I just ran into each other. Unfortunate, unlucky. I think we both have knots on our heads, (but) we just kept playing.”
Were you just in a daze after it happened?
“Yeah, yeah. I think it’s more like, ‘What just happened? Big collision. I just need some time,'” Hull replied. “I felt my face, felt a growing knot. That doesn’t feel good.”
The swelling had actually gone down in the two-and-a-half hours following the incident, according to Hull, who could actually see the bump in her peripheral vision when it first happened. “I could see it with my own eyes,” she grinned.
“I knew it was going to be big. It was literally sticking out,” Hull continued. “It’s still big right here, but it was bigger and I could see it.”
Hull exited three minutes into regulation. She returned two minutes into the second quarter, drawing a massive cheer from the crowd as she checked in at the scorers table.
Five minutes later, No. 10 sank a 24-foot triple to extend the Fever lead to 42-29 and force a Seattle timeout.
Hull jogged backwards, her right arm extended, then bounced her way along the Fever sideline, high-fiving her coach and teammates as she made her way down the floor.
That Hull was able to return Tuesday was impressive in itself. The fact she was such a critical contributor, logging five points, nine rebounds and an astounding +31 rating over 23:19, was remarkable; a testament to who she is as a player.
“Lexie is the definition of tough,” forward Aliyah Boston said as point guard Odyssey Sims nodded her head in agreement. “When you think of her as a player, the way she hustles, gets loose balls and extra offensive possessions — that’s what she does. She got hit and just continued to contribute. She was a pest on defense and made her presence felt. That’s just who Lexie is.”
General manager Amber Cox took to social media to praise Hull, writing: “Lexie Hull is tough as hell. That’s the tweet.”
“She’s just a tough young woman who battles every possession,” White said. “You can never tell if Lexie’s hurt or if she’s injured. She goes down, she gets back up and always has the same expression. She just plays her butt off. I’m thankful that it wasn’t worse and thankful she was able to come back, but she really epitomizes the toughness and the grit of this team.”
For her part, Hull said if she feels like she can play, she’s going to play.
“Whether I look good or not I look good is the problem,” she laughed. “The team and getting the win are the most important things, so if I can contribute in any way I can, that’s what I’m going to do. Playing a little injured, playing a little hurt — it is what it is.”
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Only thing bigger than Fever win Tuesday was the knot on Lexie Hull’s forehead: ‘It was literally sticking out’
Reporting by Brian Haenchen, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
