24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — January 2018 | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store – https://hawkeyefanshop.com/?utm_source=HawkeyeSports&utm_medium=HawkeyeSports&utm_campaign=HawkeyeSports | Game Notes
THIS WEEK
The 20th-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team travels to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a Tuesday night contest against the Huskers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT) in Pinnacle Bank Arena.
WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG
The contest will be streamed live on BTN Plus. Links are available on the Iowa women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
Live stats are also available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
AUDIO COVERAGE
- Rob Brooks and Jamie Cavey Lang will call the action on the Hawkeye Radio Network. A link to the broadcast is available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
- Brooks is in his second year as the play-by-play announcer for the Iowa women’s basketball team. He has been Iowa football’s sideline announcer since 2004. He has called seven different Iowa sports on radio or television.
- Lang is in her second year as Iowa’s color commentator. She lettered at Iowa from 2002-05. Lang finished her Hawkeye career with 1,265 points and 506 rebounds. She was a two-time All-Big Ten selection.
IN THE POLLS
- Iowa is ranked No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the latest AP Poll.
- The Hawkeyes entered both major polls on Dec. 11 (AP) and Dec. 12 (USA Today) at No. 25. It marked Iowa’s first time in the AP Poll since Dec. 7, 2015 (No. 23) and its first time in the Coaches Poll since Jan. 5, 2016 (No. 23). Iowa is ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since Dec. 7, 2015 (No. 23).
- Four other Big Ten teams are ranked in the polls (AP/Coaches), including No. 8/10 Ohio State, No. 14/11 Maryland, No. 25/19 Rutgers, and No. 19/20 Michigan.
FAST START
- At 15-3, Iowa is off to its best start since 2014-15 (17-3). Iowa ended the 2014-15 season with a 26-8 overall record and a trip to the Sweet 16.
- The Hawkeyes started the season 15-2 — the best start for the program since 1995-96 (20-1). Iowa finished the 1995-96 season with a 27-4 overall record, a Big Ten title, and a Sweet 16 appearance.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
- Iowa has defeated six teams — Quinnipiac, Western Kentucky, Elon, Iowa State, UNI, and Drake — that made the NCAA Tournament last season.
- Eleven of Iowa’s opponents made the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including Quinnipiac, Western Kentucky, Elon, Florida State, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Drake, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
- Nebraska is 12-6 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten Conference action.
- The Huskers fell to Michigan, 69-64, in overtime in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Jan. 13.
- Nebraska is 5-5 overall and 0-2 in conference action in games played at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
- Sophomore guard Hannah Whitish leads the team, averaging 13.8 points per game. Three other Huskers are averaging double figures in points, including freshman guard/forward Taylor Kissinger (11.8), freshman center Kate Cain (11.0), and junior forward Maddie Simon (10.3).
- Cain leads the team on the glass, averaging 7.1 rebounds per game.
- Cain ranks fourth nationally in blocked shots (63), fifth in blocked shots per game (3.5), and 21st in field goal percentage (58.3).
THE SERIES
- The all-time series is tied, 12-12.
- Iowa has won the last five contests dating back to 2014-15.
- The Hawkeyes defeated the Huskers, 75-72, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena last season. Gustafson led the team with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Kathleen Doyle added 10 points and six assists.
GUSTAFSON’S CAREER DAY
- Junior Megan Gustafson registered a career-high 37 points against Purdue on Jan. 13.
- Gustafson made 17-of-23 field goal attempts. Her 17 field goals tied a program record previously set by Amy Herrig against Northwestern on Feb. 12, 1999.
- The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native also pulled down 14 boards, registering her NCAA-leading 17 double-double of the season.
GUSTAFSON EARNS 9TH STRAIGHT CONFERENCE HONOR
- Junior Megan Gustafson was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. It is Gustafson’s sixth Player of the Week award of the season — tying a Big Ten single-season record (Jantel Lavender, Ohio State, 2010-11).
- The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native has been recognized by the conference in all 10 weeks of the season. She was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 13, Dec. 4, Dec. 18, Dec. 26, and Jan. 2, and was named to the Player of the Week Honor Roll on Nov. 20, Nov. 27, Dec. 11, and Jan. 8.
- Gustafson had a career-day against the Boilermakers on Jan. 13. She netted a career-high 37 points, making 17-of-23 shots from the field (73.9 percent). Her 17 field goals tied a program record (Amy Herrig vs. Northwestern, 2/14/99). Gustafson also registered 14 rebounds, two assists, and a block in 37 minutes of action.
POST PRODUCTION
- Juniors Megan Gustafson and Hannah Stewart and senior Chase Coley are ranked among the top-11 in the conference in field goal percentage.
- Gustafson leads the confereence, shooting 69.3 percent from the field, while Stewart ranks ninth (52.3) and Coley ranks 11th (52.2).
DOYLE STAYS HOT
- Sophomore Kathleen Doyle registered the first two double-doubles of her career against Maryland and Illinois.
- Doyle is the third Hawkeye to register a double-double this season (Gustafson, Davis).
- Doyle scored 13 points and dished out a career-high 11 assists against Maryland on Jan. 4, before registering 15 points and 10 assists against Illinois on Jan. 7.
- In five conference games this season, Doyle is averaging 12.6 points and 9.4 assists.
- Doyle has registered 10 or more assists in each of her past three games (11 at Maryland, 10 at Illinois, 10 vs. Purdue).
MOHNS STEPS UP
- Redshirt junior Carly Mohns has provided a spark of the bench for the Hawkeyes in Big Ten play. She is averaging 3.8 points and 4.2 boards in conference action.
- Mohns netted nine points, pulled down six boards, and registered two steals in a career-high 25 minutes played in Iowa’s win over No. 19/21 Michigan on Dec. 31.
- The Brodhead, Wisconsin, native registered a career-best four assists in Iowa’s road win at Illinois on Dec. 7.
- Mohns tied her career-high in rebounds with seven against Purdue on Jan. 13.
GUSTAFSON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD MIDSEASON TOP-25
- Junior Megan Gustafson was named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 list on Jan. 11.
- Players on the list are considered strong candidates for the most prestigious national player of the year honor.
- Gustafson is one of three student-athletes not included on the preseason top-30 list to be added to the midseason top 25. She is one of three Big Ten student-athletes on the list (Katelynn Flaherty and Kelsey Mitchell).
CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
- Junior Megan Gustafson’s 1,403 career points ranks 16th all-time. She needs 36 points to tie former Hawkeye Megan Skouby (1,439; 05-09) for 15th.
- Gustafson has 796 rebounds in her career. She currently ranks ninth all-time. She is 31 rebounds shy of tying Jennie Lillis (827; 00-04) for eighth.
IOWA COLLECTS 15TH WIN AT ILLINOIS, 84-71
- Iowa defeated Illinois, 84-71, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, on Jan. 7.
- Gustafson led the team with 34 points and 12 rebounds for her NCAA-leading 16th double-double of the season.
- Sophomore Kathleen Doyle registered her second straight double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
- Redshirt freshman Alexis Sevillian made 5-of-8, 3-pointers and finished with a career-best 21 points.
- Iowa recorded a season-low seven turnovers and dished out 24 assists in the contest.
LOCKED IN AT THE LINE
- Junior Megan Gustafson is 40-for-41 (97.6 percent) at the free throw line in Big Ten play this season.
- Gustafson has netted 10 or more free throws in three of Iowa’s five conference contests. She was a perfect 11-for-11 from the line in back-to-back games against Wisconsin and Michigan, and 10-for-10 in Iowa’s win at Illinois.
- Gustafson leads the league, shooting 97.6 percent from the free throw line in conference contests this season.
A PERFECT DECEMBER
- Iowa finished the month of December with a perfect 7-0 record.
- Three of Iowa’s wins came against teams that made the NCAA Tournament.
- The Hawkeyes held their opponents to 55.7 points per game during the month.
- Junior Megan Gustafson averaged 22.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in December. Sophomores Makenzie Meyer (12.6) and Kathleen Doyle (10.0) also averaged double figures.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
- Junior Megan Gustafson has 44 double-doubles in her Hawkeye career, including double-doubles in 22 of her last 26 games.
- Gustafson leads the nation with 17 double-doubles this season — one shy of tying her own program record for double-doubles in a season (18, Gustafson, 2016-17).
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
- They Hawkeyes are ranked in the top-15 in 11 categories. Iowa leads the nation in fewest fouls per game (11.6), ranks second in assists (405), third in assists per game (22.5), fourth in fewest fouls (208), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (32), sixth in field goal percentage (49.5), ninth in free throw percentage (77.7), 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.45), 13th in blocked shots (104), and 14th in blocked shots per game (5.8).
- Gustafson is currently ranked in the top-10 in the nation in nine categories. She leads the nation in double-doubles (17) and field goals made (167), ranks second in field goal percentage (69.3), third in total points (423), fourth in points per game (23.5), sixth in rebounds per game (12.7), eighth in defensive rebounds per game (8) and rebounds (228), and 14th in offensive rebounds per game (4).
- Sophomore Kathleen Doyle ranks 15th nationally in assists per game (6.5) and 22nd in assists (104).
SHARING IS CARING
- Iowa ranks second nationally in assists (405) and third in assists per game (22.5).
- The Hawkeyes have registered 23 assists or more in 12 of their 18 contests this season.
- Nine Hawkeyes have registered 20 or more assists on the season.
TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
- Four Hawkeyes average double figures in scoring this season, while seven are averaging seven or more.
- Four Hawkeyes average 4.4 or more rebounds per game, including Megan Gustafson (12.7), Hannah Stewart (5.1), Chase Coley (5.2) and Kathleen Doyle (4.4).
- Nine Hawkeyes have registered 20 or more assists on the season.
COLEY’S TURNAROUND
- After scoring in double figures once last season, senior Chase Coley has scored 10 or more points in six contests this season.
- Coley netted 20 points in Iowa’s win over Northern Illinois on Nov. 15 — her most points since scoring 20 against Michigan on March 3, 2016.
- The Minneapolis native has scored eight or more points 12 times this season, and has registered four or more rebounds on 13 occasions.
STEWART MAKES AN IMPACT
- Junior Hannah Stewart is averaging 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench for the Hawkeyes this season.
- Stewart has registered five or more rebounds in 10 games so far this season.
- The Minot, North Dakota, native netted a career-high 17 points (7-for-9) against Samford on Dec. 3.
- Stewart recorded a career-best 12 rebounds to help the Hawkeyes to their first win in Hilton since 1989.
- Stewart also leads the team in steals, averaging 1.3 per contest.
SEVILLIAN STEPS IN
- Redshirt freshman Alexis Sevillian ranks second on the team, averaging 11.4 points per game.
- Sevillian has scored in double figures in 12 of Iowa’s 18 contests.
- The Goodrich, Michigan, native has netted 3-or-more 3-pointers 10 times.
GUSTAFSON NAMED TO NAISMITH TROPHY WATCH LIST
- Junior Megan Gustafson was named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Nov. 29. The award honors the nation’s top player.
- The list currently features 50 student-athletes. It will be trimmed to 30 on Feb. 12, 2018.
- Nine different conferences are represented on the list. Gustafson is one of eight Big Ten student-athletes included.
- Gustafson was named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List on Nov. 9. She is one-of-20 student-athletes named to the list. The award honors the nation’s top power forward.
700 CLUB
- Head coach Lisa Bluder collected her 700th victory on Nov. 10 against Quinnipiac.
- Bluder is one-of-10 active Division I head coaches with 700 or more victories and one-of-29 women’s coaches to ever accomplish the feat. Bluder is one of 80 coaches (men or women) to win 700 or more contests.
- Bluder is in her 34th season as a head coach and her 18th at the helm of the Hawkeyes.
- In her 18 seasons in Iowa City, Bluder — Iowa’s all-time winningest coach — has accumulated 358 wins.
UP NEXT
Iowa travels to Minneapolis on Sunday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (CT) in Williams Arena.
