Nov. 3, 2003
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THE SETTING
The Iowa women’s basketball team hosts Athletes In Action Thursday in its first of two exhibition games. The contest is slated to tip-off at 7:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). Single game tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youths.
Thursday’s game will not have a radio broadcast.
PRESEASON EXPERIMENTAL COURT
Iowa’s two preseason exhibition games (Athletes in Action and South Dakota State) will be played on an experimental court. The NCAA Rules Committee is experimenting with the extended three-point line and the trapezoid lane. According to the NCAA, the goal of this experimental combination is to determine if its is desirable for future seasons.
Jennie Lillis NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
For the second consecutive year, senior Jennie Lillis was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team at the annual Big Ten Conference Media Day held Oct. 26 in Rosemont, IL. The three-time captain was the only player to be ranked in the top ten in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks in the Big Ten last year.
SEASON TICKETS
Hawkeye fans can purchase a 15-game season ticket package for $70 for the 2003-04 season. Senior citizens and faculty/staff can purchase season tickets for $56, while the price for students is $35. There is also a “Family Pack” for $145 that includes admission for two adults and two youths. Tickets can be purchased online by logging on to www.hawkeyesports.com or by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS. Fans may also order tickets in person at the UI Ticket Office.
GROUP TICKETS
Groups of 20-39 can purchase tickets for $5, while groups of 40 or more can buy tickets for $3. Tickets must be purchased in advance. There are no group sales on gameday.
IOWA HEAD COACH Lisa Bluder
Lisa Bluder (pronounced BLUE-dir) enters her fourth season as the head coach at the University of Iowa and her 20th season as a college head coach. Bluder, 41, has a career record of 413-178 (.699), including a 57-36 (.613) record at Iowa, a 187-106 (.638) record in 10 seasons (1990-2000) at Drake and a six-year mark (1984-90) of 169-36 (.824) at St. Ambrose. In her first season with the Hawkeyes, Bluder transformed a struggling program into a 21-game winner. Iowa finished second in the Big Ten, won the conference tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Bluder became Iowa’s third coach to be named Big Ten Coach of the Year. She was also honored as the College Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball News Service and was named the WBCA District 6 Coach of the Year. Iowa’s 2001-02 squad finished fourth in the Big Ten and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.
Last year, Bluder guided the Hawkeyes to its first-ever WNIT appearance. Iowa, which had nine underclassmen on its roster, advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Creighton. In her 10 years at Drake, Bluder brought great success and tradition to the Bulldog program and established herself as one of the top coaches in the country. She led Drake to five 20-plus win seasons in the last six years, including five post-season appearances. She guided the Bulldogs to eight Missouri Valley Conference Tournament appearances, reaching the semifinals six times and winning the tournament four times. Bluder was also named the Conference Coach of the Year three times as Drake.
Bluder began her coaching career at St. Ambrose, where she coached six successful seasons building the Bees into a NAIA powerhouse. During her tenure at St. Ambrose, Bluder guided the Bees to four straight national tournaments, including two consecutive Final Four appearances. The 1990 St. Ambrose team was ranked No. 1 and Bluder was named the NAIA Converse Coach of the Year.
A graduate of Linn-Mar High School in Marion, IA, Bluder was a three-year starter at Northern Iowa. She graduated from UNI in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
Bluder and her husband David have two daughters, Hannah (6) and Emma (3) and one son, David (1).
HOOP IT UP
The White Team defeated the Black Team, 48-45, in its annual “Hoop It Up” event. Pacing the White Team were senior Jennie Lillis and sophomore Lindsay Richards. Lillis posted game highs in points (16) and rebounds (7). Richards scored 14 points and collected four assists.
The Black Team was led by senior Becca McCann and junior Jamie Cavey. McCann scored 10 of her team-high 14 points in the second half. She also registered a team-high six rebounds. Cavey scored two points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out a game-high six assists.
SCOUTING ATHLETES IN ACTION
Athletes in Action (AIA) split its first two games of the exhibition season. AIA opened with an 82-63 win at Ohio University last Saturday. AIA forced 21 Bobcat turnovers and collected 11 steals to Ohio’s three. AIA had four players score in double figures. Mandy Arndtson posted a double-double, scoring a game-high 23 points (7-9 FG, 8-10 FT) and pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds. Katie Voigt tallied 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-2 FT) and grabbed seven rebounds, Tasha Pointer recorded 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 FT), while A.J. Whitehead contributed 10 points (5-9 FG).
AIA lost its second contest at Kentucky, 73-64, Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats out-rebounded AIA (45-35) and held AIA to 36 percent shooting from the field. Voigt paced AIA with team highs in points (18) and rebounds (6). Pointer added 10 points and collected four rebounds and four assists.
Before playing the Hawkeyes on Thursday, AIA visits Miami (OH) on Monday and Michigan on Tuesday.
FAMILIAR FACES
Members of Iowa’s roster have played against two of the players on the Athletes In Action roster. Forward Lisa Eckart and guard Jen Roulier.
Eckart graduated from Indiana last year and had some success against the Hawkeyes. Last year, Eckart averaged 8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 1.5 spg in two games.
Roulier graduated from Colorado in 2002. Iowa played at Colorado in December, 2001. Roulier scored 15 points (5-10 FG, 3-4 FT), grabbed three rebounds and dished out a game-high eight assists.
Guard Katie Voigt also has Big Ten ties, as she graduated from Wisconsin in 1998.
HAWKEYES ADVANCE TO WNIT
Iowa (18-15, 6-10) received its first-ever invitation to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The Hawkeyes advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to the Missouri Valley Conference co-champion Creighton Bluejays. A youthful Hawkeye squad that included nine underclassmen defeated Saint Louis in the first round, 93-64, then Marquette in the second round, 76-73.
MILESTONES APPROACHING
Iowa is only two wins away from notching its 500th career win as a program. If the Hawkeyes win the KCRG-TV 9 Hawkeye Challenge, they will accomplish the feat during their annual tournament. In addition, this year is the Hawkeyes’ 30th year as a varsity sport.
Coach Bluder is nine games away from coaching in her 600th career game as a head coach. She holds a 413-178 (.699) mark in 591 contests.
IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa’s pre-season non-conference strength of schedule ranking is 63rd, according to the WBCA. The Hawkeyes’ overall strength of schedule, including conference games, is 29th. All 11 Big Ten teams rank in the top 60 in overall strength of schedule. Penn State ranks first among Big Ten teams (No. 5), followed by Illinois (No. 8) and Purdue (No. 11).
Five of Iowa’s 2003-04 opponents are ranked in four preseason top 25 polls. Kansas State, Pudue, Penn State, Ohio Sate and Minnesota are ranked by Basketball News, Lindy’s, Athlon Sports and Street & Smith.
POSTSEASON HONORS
Jennie Lillis was a first team all-Big Ten selection by the media and a second team choice by the coaches last season. She was also a WBCA Region 6 All-America Honorable Mention. Kristi Faulkner was named to the all-Big Ten third team by both the media and coaches, while Johanna Solverson was named to the all-Big Ten Freshman Team.
500 CLUB
Jennie Lillis and Kristi Faulkner became the first and only Iowa duo to collect 500 points or more in the same season. Faulkner (539) and Lillis (537) joined Cindy Haugejorde, Michelle Edwards, Lindsey Meder, Franthea Price, Tangela Smith and Amy Herrig as the only Hawkeyes to record 500 points or more in a single season.
HAWKEYES CAPTURED “STATE TITLE”
Iowa’s three victories over Northern Iowa (98-68), Iowa State (64-39) and Drake (72-52) gave it the mythical state championship. The Hawkeyes boasted a 25.0 average margin of victory against the three in-state opponents. Iowa’s victories snapped a four-game losing streak to Drake and a five-game losing skid to Iowa State.
TWICE IS NICE
Jamie Cavey was perfect from the floor in two games. Cavey was a perfect 7-7 from the field in scoring a then-career-high 14 points at Creighton (Dec. 12). The native of Mechanicsville, IA, bested that performance with her 21 points on 9-9 shooting from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line against Marquette in the second round of the WNIT (Mar. 23). Cavey set a school and Carver-Hawkeye Arena record for field goal percentage in a single game with her 9-9 shooting performance. In the process, she posted career highs in points (21), field goal percentage (1.000, 9-9) and field goals made (9) and tied a career high in field goal attempts (9).
IOWA’S DYNAMIC DUO
Iowa was the only Big Ten school to have two student-athletes ranked in the top five in scoring in both all games and conference-only contests. Kristi Faulkner ranked fourth and Jennie Lillis fifth in both all games and conference-only contests.
LILLIS MOVES UP CAREER CHARTS
Jennie Lillis begins her senior year ranked ninth in career scoring (1,299), tenth in rebounding (647), 13th in steals (134) and third in blocks (88). She is only 21 points from topping Amy Herrig (1995-99) for eighth on Iowa’s career scoring chart and seven rebounds from moving past Shanda Berry (1986-89) for ninth in career rebounds
ONE AND THE BONUS
Jennie Lillis has attempted at least one free throw in 87-of-93 games she has played during her three-year career. She is on pace to break both the school’s career free throws made and attempted records. Lillis has made 315 free throws and has attempted 428. The two-time all-Big Ten performer is 17 free throws attempted and 75 free throws made from breaking both records.
RICHARDS INJURIES HER KNEE
Point guard Lindsay Richards sustained a season-ending knee injury in Iowa’s home win over Denver on Dec 12. The native of Barrington, IL, underwent successful surgery on Dec. 19 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. Prior to her injury, Richards played eight games, averaging 17.6 minutes per contest, 4.5 ppg, 3.6 apg and 1.6 rpg.
Richards is expected to be Iowa’s starting point guard this season.
HAWKEYES POST DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Jennie Lillis posted a team-best nine double-doubles, which ranked as the second-most by a Big Ten athlete. She posted back-to-back double-doubles on four occasions. Kristi Faulkner registered her first career double-double in Iowa’s victory over Missouri, while April Calhoun recorded a double-double against Denver.
RAINING THREES
Iowa has sank at least one three-pointer in 148 consecutive games. It is a streak that has occurred over a span of six seasons. The last time the Hawkeyes did not drain a three-pointer was against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament on March 1, 1998.
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 817 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 498-319 (.610). That includes a 266-138 (.658) mark in Big Ten games and a 220-48 (.821) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
ATTRACTIVE HOME GAMES
Iowa opens its 13-game regular season home schedule with the annual KCRG-TV 9 Hawkeye Challenge, Nov. 21-22. Besides eight exciting Big Ten Conference home games, Iowa hosts Big 12 power Kansas State (Dec. 12), in-state rival Drake (Dec. 21) and last year’s Missouri Valley Conference co-champions Creighton Bluejays (Dec. 28).
The Hawkeyes play every Big Ten school twice except Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. Iowa will play the Buckeyes and Wolverines at home, while it will visit the Wildcats and Spartans.
NEW HAWKEYE
Guard Deb Remmerde is Iowa’s lone freshman this year. Remmerde is a 5-9 shooting guard. The native of Rock Valey, IA, is the Iowa High School all-time scoring leader. She was Iowa’s Miss Basketball her senior year and Class 1A State Tournament MVP and team captain. She is also the state record holder for career free throw percentage and three-point shooting.
Jennie Lillis CONTINUES TO RISE
Senior Jennie Lillis has been Iowa’s leader on and off the court the last couple years. The native of Urbandale, IA, averaged 14.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 2.6 apg her sophomore season and 16.3 ppg and 7.2 rpg last season. She has started all but one game in her career and currently has 1,299 career points, which is ninth-best on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart. She also has collected 647 rebounds, which is 10th-best all-time. Lillis is on pace to finish her career in the top-five in career rebounding and top-10 in career scoring. Lillis, who was a WBCA Region 6 All-American Honorable Mention last year, was the only Big Ten athlete ranked in the top 10 in the conference in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals. She scored 20 points or more 10 times and posted double figures in 29 of Iowa’s 33 games.
FAULKNER HAS CAREER YEAR
After directing the Hawkeyes’ offense her sophomore season, Faulkner was shifted to the shooting guard position and put up career numbers. A third team all-Big Ten selection last year, Faulkner ranked first on the team in scoring (16.3 ppg), three-pointers made (52) and attempted (156) and free throw percentage (145-165, .879) and second in assists (90) and third in rebounding (4.0 rpg). The 145 free throws made set a school record.
Faulkner scored in double figures 29 times, including scoring 20 points or more in 11 games. She posted career highs in points twice (29) and rebounds twice (8).
THE NAME GAME
Iowa has two players with the first name Lindsay (Geoffroy and Richards). The Hawkeyes also have two Jennie’s on its team. Senior forward Jennie Lillis and athletic trainer Jennie Hartgrave.
SEVERE BLOCKAGE
One big surprise for Hawkeye fans last year was the amount of blocked shots Iowa collected. Iowa accumulated 131 blocked shots (4.51 bpg) with a team lacking in size. Jerica Watson and Jennie Lillis led the Hawkeyes in blocks with 59 and 22, respecively. The average Hawkeye player this season is 6-0. That is one inch shorter than last year’s average.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Jenna Armstrong, Jamie Cavey, April Calhoun, Kristi Faulkner, Jennie Lillis and Becca McCann were all named to the Academic All-Big Ten team last year. Iowa’s six Academic all-Big Ten selections is a new school record.
HAWKEYES ON THE AIR
Listen to all the Iowa women’s basketball games on KXIC-AM 800 in Iowa City, WHO-AM 1040 in Des Moines and WMT-AM 600 in Cedar Rapids. Mark Allen returns for his third season as the play-by-play voice, while Karen Schulte enters her fourth season handling the color commentary.
NUTHIN’ BUT NET
Catch all the University of Iowa women’s basketball games over the Internet at www.hawkeyesports.com. Fans can listen to live or replay previously played games. Just click on the “Multimedia” link near the top of the page.
“HAWK TALK WITH Lisa Bluder”
Catch “Hawk Talk with Lisa Bluder”, the radio call-in program Monday nights featuring Iowa Hawkeye women’s head coach Lisa Bluder, on KXIC-AM 800 in Iowa, WHO-AM 1040 in Des Moines and WMT-AM 600 in Cedar Rapids from 6-7 p.m. The first show is set to air November 24, and is broadcast live from the Chili’s Restaurant in Coralville. Fans can call toll-free at (800) 332-5401 or locally at (319) 365-0600.
IOWA INFORMATION ON THE WEB
Statistics and play-by-play accounts of all Iowa home games will be available live on the internet. The statistical program allows viewers to read the play-by-play action just moments after it takes place, and to view all individual and team statistics while the game is in progress.
The program can be accessed through www.hawkeyesports.com and then clicking on the Gametracker link.
NEXT ACTION
The Hawkeyes will have their final tune-up before the regular season when they host South Dakota State on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa opens its regular season when it hosts the annual KCRG-TV 9 Hawkeye Challenge, Nov. 21-22.