It was only a few minutes before tip-off a week ago in Mobile, Ala., that Arkansas State University learned it would be playing without Keya Patton.
Perhaps the Red Wolves thought it'd be just that night and two days later at Troy. Only once ASU returned to Jonesboro did the Red Wolves find out they'd be sans their leading scorer for the rest of the season.
Patton, who transferred from Auburn, announced Tuesday night on her personal Twitter page that she suffered a torn ACL, ending her 2021-22 season after 16 games. The Indianapolis native was averaging 14.3 points and 26.1 minutes a game, with her standout performance coming Jan. 8 when she dropped 30 points in the first half against Louisiana-Monroe.
So where does that leave an ASU (10-9, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) side that has leaned on its offense thus far?
For interim head coach Destinee Rogers, it starts with backcourt veterans Morgan Wallace and Jireh Washington.
"I don't think we would've lost those games last weekend if we had [Patton], but we proved that we can do it without KP," Rogers said. "So I told Morgan, 'Listen, with everything going on, we're being hit with some adversity right now. You've got to be even more of a leader in the sense that you've got to help pick these young kids up.'"
Wallace played all 40 minutes against Troy, scoring 12 points, while Washington added 14 of her own in 35 minutes.
It wasn't enough against the Trojans, who have consistently been one of the Sun Belt Conference's top programs, but it was close -- the Red Wolves led 60-58 entering the fourth quarter before Troy pulled away for a 79-72 win.
Between the eldest of ASU's guards and its youngest in Mailyn Wilkerson and Lauryn Pendleton, both of whom have been regular starters since Rogers took over for Matt Daniel in December, there's more than enough firepower for the Red Wolves to make up for what they'll lose with Patton sidelined.
It's a matter of doing so consistently -- Patton scored double-digit points in all but three games before her injury.
"Now that we've played a couple of games without KP, I think the kids kind of understand what it is right now," Rogers said. "It's not so much of a shock as it was when it first happened."
And then there's the added benefit of playing at home. ASU is winless away from Jonesboro in Sun Belt play and 2-7 on the season.
But after playing twice at First National Bank Arena this weekend, the Red Wolves finish the regular season with five of six games on the road.
Rogers hopes the team can rediscover a few things before it packs up for a critical final stretch.
"We're excited to be back in front of our home crowd and defend home court," she said. "[But] we need to be able to figure out how to pack [our home success] in our bags and take it on the road. ... There's a lot of learning going on, a lot of growing and we just have to figure out how to bring our own energy."