Hawkeyes Host Purdue in Saturday Afternoon Contest

Jan. 21, 2005

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THE SETTING
Iowa (13-4, 1-3) hosts Purdue (4-11, 0-5) Saturday as the Hawkeyes play three of their next four games at home. Game time is 1:32 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500).

Iowa dropped a 73-68 overtime decision at top-ranked Illinois Thursday evening in its last outing. Purdue was defeated by a 71-64 margin at Michigan State Tuesday.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Gary Dolphin handles the play-by-play with color commentator Bob Hansen. Television: ESPN Regional will carry the game to a network of stations throughout the Big Ten Conference viewing area, including KGAN in Cedar Rapids. Larry Morgan and Mike Kelley will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,327 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,388-939 (.596). That includes an 867-304 (.740) record in home games, a 521-635 (.451) record in games away from Iowa City, a 658-647 (.504) mark in Big Ten games and a 273-78 (.778) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 273-778 (.778) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 128-65 (.663) in Big Ten games and 145-13 (.918) in non-Big Ten games. Iowa has drawn over five million fans for men’s basketball games since the arena opened in 1983. Iowa has posted a 65-23 (.739) home record under Coach Steve Alford, including a 42-4 (.913) mark in non-conference home games.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked 23rd by the Associated Press and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Iowa began the season receiving no votes in either poll. The Hawkeyes are 23rd in the RPI rankings and 22nd in the Sagarin Ratings.

IOWA OFF TO FAST START
With 12 wins in its first 13 games, Iowa enjoyed its best start under Coach Steve Alford. Iowa, in 2001, posted a 10-1 mark to start the season and ended the year with a 23-12 overall record. Iowa began both the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons with a 13-1 record.

Iowa’s nine-game win streak matched the best streak for an Iowa team under Alford, as the Hawkeyes opened the 2000-01 season with nine straight wins. The Hawkeyes also had six-game win streaks in 2003-04 and 2001-02. Iowa has 12 non-conference wins (not including post-season) for the first time since 1988-89.

PIERCE SURPASSES 1,000 POINTS
Junior guard Pierre Pierce is the 36th player in Iowa basketball history to reach 1,000 career points. Pierce has scored 1,024 points in 81 games, an average of 12.6 per outing. Pierce had a career-high 31 points in the recent loss at Ohio State, becoming the first Hawkeye player to scored over 30 points in a game since Luke Recker had 31 points in a win at Missouri in December, 2001. He added 22 points in the overtime loss at Illinois.

Guard Dean Oliver was the most recent Iowa player to reach 1,000 points in three seasons, surpassing the milestone in his junior season in 1999-00. Glen Worley, a senior a year ago, is the most recent member of the 1,000-Point Club.

Along with Pierce at 1,024 points, junior Jeff Horner currently has 867 career points and junior Greg Brunner is at 774 points. Iowa has had three 1,000-point scorers on the roster in the same season on three occasions. Jess Settles, Kenyon Murray and Chris Kingsbury in 1996, Roy Marble, B.J. Armstrong and Jeff Moe in 1988 and Marble, Armstrong and Ed Horton in 1989.

RECOGNITION ON THE NET
Iowa’s basketball program has been well recognized on the internet for its play during the non-conference portion of the season.

• On espn.com, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale selected the Hawkeyes as his “Team of the Week” for their 83-53 win over Texas Tech.
• CollegeInsider.com selected sophomore guard Adam Haluska as its “Star of the Week” for his play in the win over Texas Tech. Haluska matched his career high with 21 points, hitting 7-9 field goals, 3-3 three-pointers and 4-5 free throws.
• CollegeInsider.com selected Coach Steve Alford for its “Mid Season” Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honor. The Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honor is awarded in March.
• Gregg Doyel, writing for cbssportline.com, recently featured the Iowa guard court of Jeff Horner, Pierre Pierce and Adam Haluska as one of the best in the nation.

IOWA COACH Steve Alford
Steve Alford (pronounced ALL-ford) is in his sixth season as the head coach at the University of Iowa and his 14th season as a college head coach. Alford holds a career record of 258-152 (.629), including a 102-75 (.576) record at Iowa, a 78-29 (.729) record in four seasons (1992-95) at Div. III Manchester College and a four-year record (1996-99) of 78-48 (.619) at Southwest Missouri State. Alford ranks fifth among Iowa’s head basketball coaches in career wins and he is 35-49 (.417) in Big Ten games at Iowa. Alford is 8-5 in the NCAA Tournament (3-2 in Div. I and 5-3 in Div. III) and 2-4 in the NIT.

Alford led Iowa to the 2001 Big Ten Conference Tournament title and into the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his second season with the Hawkeyes. Iowa earned a return trip to the title game of the Big Ten Conference Tournament in 2002 and advanced to the NIT in post-season play in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The Hawkeyes set a Big Ten Conference Tournament record with seven straight wins over two seasons (2001-2002) before a last-second loss in the first round of the 2003 tournament. Alford’s record in the event is 8-4 in his five seasons.

Alford led Southwest Missouri State to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1999 and in 1995 Manchester advanced to the NCAA championship game before suffering its first defeat of the season.

Alford is a 1987 graduate of Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to the 1987 NCAA title. Alford was a member of the 1984 U. S. Olympic team that earned the Gold Medal and he was the 26th player selected in the NBA Draft following his senior season. Alford played four seasons in the NBA before beginning his coaching career.

At Indiana, Alford started 120 of 125 games in four seasons. He served as team captain in 1987 when the Hoosiers were 30-4. Steve concluded his college career as Indiana’s all-time scoring leader with 2,438 points and he holds the Indiana record for career steals with 178. He was a consensus first team All-American and the Big Ten MVP as a senior.

Alford is a member of the Manchester College M Association Hall of Fame and the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2001 he was named one of the “Top 50 Athletes” in the history of the state of Indiana and was selected as a member of the 15-man Indiana University all-Century team. A year ago he was one of five players selected to ESPN’s Big Ten Conference Silver Anniversary team, honoring Big Ten players from the past 25 seasons.

Alford is 5-4 against Purdue and Boilermaker Coach Gene Keady.

PURDUE COACH GENE KEADY
Coach Gene Keady, who will step down at the end of the season, is in his 25th season at Purdue and his 27th season as a college head coach. Keady holds a career mark of 543-269 and his record at Purdue is 505-250. Keady posted a 38-19 record in two seasons at Western Kentucky before moving on to Purdue. Keady has guided Purdue to six Big Ten titles, including three straight from 1994-96. Keady has been national Coach of the Year six times and has earned Big Ten Conference Coach of the year recognition a league-record seven times. He is a member of the National Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame, the Kansas Basketball Hall of Fame and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Keady is 22-21 vs. Iowa and 4-5 vs. Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford.

THE SERIES
Purdue holds a 74-66 advantage in the series that began with a 17-11 Boilermaker win in 1909. The Hawkeyes won both meetings last season, winning 71-61 in Iowa City and 63-62 in West Lafayette, after Purdue won the only meeting in 2003.

Iowa and Purdue have met twice at a neutral site, with both meetings taking place in Indianapolis. In addition to the meeting at Conseco Fieldhouse in the 2002 Big Ten Tournament, the Hawkeyes and Boilermakers both advanced to the 1980 Final Four at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, and both lost in the semi-finals. A consolation game was played at that time and Purdue defeated Iowa 75-58.

Iowa holds a 44-23 advantage in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have won five of the last seven meetings in Iowa City and hold an 11-8 advantage in games played in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA, PURDUE NOTES

• Iowa and Purdue have played two common opponents, Minnesota and Illinois. Iowa defeated Minnesota (66-60) at home and lost at Illinois (68-73) in overtime. Purdue lost at Minnesota (52-63) and lost to Illinois (59-68) in West Lafayette.
• The Iowa roster includes Indiana native J.R. Angle, along with Coach Steve Alford, an Indiana native who played at Indiana.
• Purdue Coach Gene Keady is the only Big Ten coach who was coaching in the Big Ten when Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford was a player at Indiana from 1984-87. During Alford’s four-year career at Indiana, the Hoosiers won just three of eight meetings against in-state rival Purdue.
• Purdue assistant Coach Paul Lusk began his college career at Iowa. Lusk, who had followed his father’s footsteps to Iowa, suffered a broken leg early in his Iowa career and completed his career at Southern Illinois. Lusk scored over 1,000 points in his three seasons at Southern Illinois.

IOWA WON TWICE LAST SEASON
Iowa began and ended Big Ten play a year ago with wins over Purdue, taking a 71-61 win in Iowa City on Jan. 7 and a 63-62 victory Mar. 00 in West Lafayette.

Iowa won in Iowa City when the teams met to open Big Ten Conference play. Iowa held the Boilermakers to 37.5% shooting from the field in that contest and forced 18 Purdue turnovers. Iowa took the lead late in the first half and held a 28-25 advantage at halftime. Purdue rallied for a 32-30 advantage in the early stages of the second half, but a free throw by Pierre Pierce gave Iowa a 33-32 advantage with 16:42 to play and the Hawkeyes led the rest of the way. Iowa led by as many as many as 11 points in the second half and Purdue was never closer than seven points in the final eight minutes.

Iowa shot 40.4% from the field and 78.4% (29-37) from the free throw line. The Hawkeyes had 10 steals and committed just 13 turnovers, while both teams ended the night with 39 rebounds. For the first time in 53 games, Iowa did not have a three-point basket.

Pierce led Iowa’s scoring with 19 points, including 13-16 free throws. Jared Reiner added 14 points and Jeff Horner scored 10. Horner added 10 rebounds for the second double-double of his career, while Reiner had eight rebounds and Greg Brunner six.

Purdue was led by Kenneth Lowe with 19 points, while David Teague and Brandon McKnight each added nine. Lowe, Teague and Melvin Buckley each had five rebounds.

Pierre Pierce and Jeff Horner each made two free throws in the final 30 seconds as Iowa defeated Purdue 63-62 in West Lafayette in its final game of the regular season. With Iowa trailing 60-59, Pierce made two free throws with 30 seconds remaining to give Iowa a 61-60 advantage.

Following a Purdue miss, Horner was fouled with 12 seconds remaining and his two free throws gave Iowa a 63-62 advantage. Purdue scored its final two points on a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining. Iowa was able to in-bound the ball as time expired.

Purdue built a nine-point advantage in the early stages of the contest, but Iowa got back in the game and trailed by just two at intermission. Purdue’s biggest lead of the second half was six points, 44-38 with 16:33 to play, but Iowa had a 10-0 scoring run over the next six minutes. Iowa led until Purdue took a 54-53 advantage with 5:55 to play and Iowa led 59-56 with 3:24 remaining. Purdue then scored four straight to take the lead with 1:37 left before Pierce connected on his free throws in the final minute.

Iowa shot 46.2% from the field and won the rebounding battle 37-31. Purdue shot just 36.1% from the field, including 20% (5-25) from three-point range.

Horner led all scorers with 22 points, and added nine rebounds and four assists. Greg Brunner added 14 points and 13 rebounds and Pierce scored 12, all in the second half. Purdue was led by David Teague and Kenneth Lowe with 14 points each and Brandon McKnight scored 12.

IOWA FALLS IN OT AT ILLINOIS
Iowa forced an overtime session, but couldn’t pull off the upset in a 73-68 loss at top-ranked Illinois Thursday. Greg Brunner’s basket with four seconds remaining forced the overtime period, but Illinois outscored the Hawkeyes 8-3 in the extra period to stay unbeaten.

Defense was the key for Iowa, as the Hawkeyes held Illinois to 32.8% shooting from the field, a season low. The teams traded baskets throughout much of the first half before Illinois used a late scoring spurt to build a 34-25 halftime advantage.

The Illinois led by 13 points with just under 15 minutes to play when Iowa rallied. Two three-point baskets by Jeff Horner and a trey by Pierre Pierce closed the game and the Hawkeyes tied the score at 52-52 with nine minutes to play on a basket by Erek Hansen. The Illini increased the advantage to six points with 1:05 to play when Iowa rallied again. Pierce hit another three-pointer and Adam Haluska scored on a dunk with 20 seconds to play. After an Illinois free throw, Brunner tied the game with his drive in the lane.

Illinois led the entire overtime period, but the margin was just one point with 1:16 to play following another basket by Brunner. Illinois got a basket by Luther head with 39 seconds remaining and Iowa was unable to score again. Along with holding Illinois with its defense, Iowa was able to connect on 44.3% of its field goals. The Illini, however, held a 23-6 scoring advantage from the free throw line, attempting 31 free throws to just 12 attempts for Iowa.

Pierce led the Hawkeyes with 22 points and another great defensive effort, holding Deron Williams to a season-low four points. Brunner added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Haluska scored 12 points and Horner added nine points, six rebounds and four assists.

MSU HOLDS OFF PURDUE
Michigan State used a scoring spurt at the end of the first half to gain control and went on to a 71-64 win over Purdue Tuesday night in East Lansing. The Boilermakers led throughout much of the first half before MSU opened up a 36-27 margin at intermission. MSU led by a double digit margin early in the second half before Purdue rallied, closing the margin to three points on several occasions in the closing minutes.

Michigan State maintained its advantage by hitting 12-16 free throws in the second half and the Spartans shot 52.6% from the field over the final 20 minutes as well.

Purdue rallied behind the inside game of forward Carl Landry. The first year Boilermaker made 11-12 field goals and 8-12 free throws to end the game with 31 points, and he added nine rebounds. Guard David Teague, with 13 points, was the only other Boilermaker to score in double figures. With Landry leading the way, Purdue shot 48.9% from the field, but the Boilermakers made just 55.2% of their free throws.

HAWKEYES AMONG NCAA LEADERS
As a team, Iowa ranks seventh nationally in blocked shots per game (6.4), 18th in assists (16.2), 23rd in three-point percentage (39.3%) and scoring (77.6) and 25th in field goal percentage (472).

Individually, center Erek Hansen is fourth in blocked shots (3.8) and guard Jeff Horner is ninth in three-point field goal percentage (47.3%), 15th in assists per game (5.6) and 21st in three-point field goals per game (2.6).

HAWKEYES TIE BLOCK RECORD, AGAIN
Iowa set its second single-game record of the season in a loss to North Carolina and tied that record in wins over North Carolina-Greensboro and Saint Louis. The Hawkeyes blocked 12 shots in each of those games to break the previous record of 11, set in an 80-65 win at Drake on Jan. 4, 1993.

Junior center Erek Hansen led the way with five blocks against the North Carolina and UNC Greensboro, and he had seven in the win over Saint Louis.

IOWA SETS FREE THROW MARK
Iowa set school and Carver-Hawkeye Arena records in its opening win over Western Illinois by making all 20 of its free throw attempts. Six Hawkeyes contributed to the record, with Pierre Pierce and Erek Hansen each making four.

The previous best for a perfect free throw percentage (18-18) came in a win at Indiana in 1979. The previous record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena was 94.7%, when Iowa made 18-19 attempts vs. Wisconsin in 2001. The Hawkeyes are shooting 78.6% (55-70) from the free throw line through three Big Ten games.

NEW FACES CONTRIBUTE EARLY
Several new faces have been big contributors in Iowa’s first 17 games. The newcomers are averaging 22.4 points and 11 rebounds per outing. Junior college transfer Doug Thomas scored 14 points and led Iowa with nine rebounds in the opening win over Western Illinois, and he added 10 rebounds vs. UNC Greensboro. Thomas added eight points and five rebounds vs. North Carolina, he had six rebounds in the win over Texas and five rebounds at Illinois.

Sophomore Adam Haluska has scored in double figures in 13 of 17 games, including a career-high 21 points vs. Drake and Texas Tech and 20 in a home win over Iowa State.

In the win at Drake, freshman Carlton Reed scored 14 points, while freshman Alex Thompson added five rebounds in the win over Texas Tech and Seth Gorney played a key defensive role and had five rebounds in a win over Minnesota.

Newcomers contributed 31 points and 13 rebounds in the opening win, 37 points and 11 rebounds vs. North Carolina, 39 points and 15 rebounds in the win at Drake, 22 points and 15 rebounds vs. Centenary and 27 points and 19 rebounds vs. UNC Greensboro.

ANOTHER STRONG SCHEDULE
As has been the case in recent years, the Iowa schedule is very demanding. Eight of Iowa’s 13 non-conference games were against teams that advanced to post-season play a year ago. Iowa this season is 7-3 against teams that were in post-season play a year ago, including a 5-2 record vs. teams that were in the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

Iowa took part in the EA Sports Maui Invitational early in the season, defeating #11 Louisville and #13 Texas, while falling to #11 North Carolina. The Hawkeyes lost to top-ranked Illinois in overtime in their fourth game of the season against a ranked opponent. The non-conference slate also included Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Air Force and Saint Louis, teams that participated in post-season play a year ago. Iowa will play 16 games against teams that advanced to post-season play a year ago.

TWO STRAIGHT OVER RANKED TEAMS
Iowa’s back-to-back wins over Louisville and Texas marks the second time Iowa has won consecutive games against ranked opponents under Coach Steve Alford. The Hawkeyes, during the 2002-03 season, defeated 20th-ranked Michigan State 68-64 and 8th-ranked Illinois 68-61.

IOWA VS. RANKED FOES
Steve Alford has posted a 17-25 record against ranked opponents as Iowa’s head coach. Iowa, this season, has defeated 11th-ranked Louisville 76-71 and 13th-ranked Texas 82-80, with losses to 11th-ranked North Carolina and No. 1 ranked Illinois, in overtime.

Alford’s Hawkeye teams are 5-10 when playing teams ranked in the top 10, including wins over top-ranked Connecticut (70-68 in 1999-00), 2nd-ranked Missouri (83-65 in 2001-02), 5th-ranked Ohio State (67-64 in 1999-00), 7th-ranked Illinois (78-62 in 2000-01) and 8th-ranked Illinois (68-61 in 2002-03).

The 10 losses to top 10 teams have been twice to top-ranked (Duke, 2001-02 and Illinois, 2004-05), once to 3rd-ranked (Illinois, 2000-01), twice to 4th-ranked (Michigan State, 1999-00 and 2000-01), twice to 5th-ranked (Tennessee, 2000-01 and Missouri, 2001-02), once to 9th-ranked (Kentucky, 2000-01) and twice to 10th-ranked (Michigan State, 2000 and Illinois, 2002).

In the 42 games against ranked teams, Alford and his Iowa team are 6-7 in home games, 8-8 at neutral sites and 3-10 when playing ranked teams in their home arena.

HANSEN ON BLOCKS CHART
Junior center Erek Hansen has collected 60 blocked shots in 16 games, moving among Iowa’s leaders in blocks for a season and career. A year ago Hansen blocked 40 shots in 22 games. The 60 blocks rank sixth best for a single season and his 100 career blocks ranks fifth among Iowa’s career leaders. Hansen had a career-best seven blocked shots vs. Iowa State and Saint Louis and he had six blocks in a win over Texas Tech and a loss to Michigan. He has blocked five or more shots in seven games, and he is averaging 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 44.3% from the field and 70.4% from the free throw line. He had a career-high 14 points vs. Northern Iowa and he had 11 points and six rebounds vs. Texas.

HORNER OFF TO FAST START
Junior guard Jeff Horner is off to a fast start, ranking among national leaders in assists and three-point field goals while averaging 13.8 points per game. Horner is averaging 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Horner had a career-high 27 points in the win over Texas and he led the Maui Invitational in scoring with 63 points in three games. He added 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a win at Drake.

Horner made 15-23 three-point attempts in the three games in Hawaii, moving into Iowa’s top 10 in both three-pointers and three-point attempts. Horner was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his play in Maui. The honor is the second of Horner’s career, as he earned it last Feb. 9 after leading Iowa to a double-overtime win at Indiana. He added his first career scoring and assist double-double in the win over UNC Greensboro with 14 points and a career-best 11 assists. He added 16 points and nine rebounds in the win over Northern Iowa. Horner scored Iowa’s final five points in the last 95 seconds against the Panthers and he added 12 points and seven assists in a win over Iowa State.

He is shooting 44.3% from the field, 47.3% from three-point range and 79.7% from the free throw line. Horner was named to the all-tournament team at the Maui Invitational and he was co-MVP (with teammate Pierre Pierce) of Iowa’s Gazette Hawkeye Challenge.

PIERCE WELL BALANCED
Junior guard Pierre Pierce is proving to be one of the most versatile players in the Big Ten Conference. Pierce is averaging 18.1 points, 4.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game and he leads the team (and the Big Ten) with 43 steals. He has scored in double figures in all 17 games, has at least five assists in eight games and five or more rebounds in 13 games. Pierce is averaging 21.5 points in Big Ten games, including a career-high 31 points vs. Ohio State, where he made 12-20 field goal attempts and 5-8 free throws. He added 18 points and eight rebounds in a win over Minnesota and 22 points and five assists in an overtime loss at top-ranked Illinois.

While leading the Hawkeyes in scoring, Pierce continues to prove his worth in all phases. He leads the team in steals and is second in rebounds and assists. At Illinois, Pierce held Deron Williams, the pre-season Player of the Year, to a season-low four points. In the win over Minnesota, he held leading scorer Vincent Grier to just six points. Grier had averaged over 17 points a game in Minnesota’s first 15 games, scoring in double figures in every game. Pierce held Grier to 1-6 shooting from the field.

Pierce made a three-point basket in the final minute to lead Iowa in a win over Texas, scoring 18 points vs. the Longhorns and 16 points vs. Louisville in Iowa’s first two games of the Maui Invitational. He added 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in a win over Texas Tech and had 24 points vs. Saint Louis. Pierce was named co-MVP (along with teammate Jeff Horner) of Iowa’s Gazette Hawkeye Challenge.

BRUNNER WORKING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Greg Brunner is Iowa’s top returning rebounder and he is averaging 8.2 rebounds this season. Brunner ranks second among current Big Ten players with seven scoring and rebounding doubles-doubles this season and 16 in his career. Brunner had 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. Minnesota and 16 points and 11 rebounds in the overtime loss at Illinois. Bruner is averaging 10.3 rebounds in Big Ten play, best in the conference. Brunner, who ranked second in the Big Ten in rebounding last season, had a season-best 13 rebounds in the win over Iowa State and 11 vs. Western Carolina, Saint Louis, Ohio State, Minnesota and Illinois. He had 10 rebounds vs. Louisville, nine vs. UNC Greensboro and eight on three occasions. Brunner has scored in double figures in 15 games, with a season-high 23 in the win over Northern Iowa. He is shooting 53.3% from the field and 72.2% from the foul line. He was named to the all-tournament team of Iowa’s Gazette Hawkeye Challenge.

HALUSKA HITS NEW HIGH
Sophomore Adam Haluska scored a career-high 21 points in wins over Texas Tech and Drake as he has scored in double figures in 13 of 17 games. Playing against his former school, he added 20 points in a win over Iowa State, hitting 4-8 treys. Haluska had 19 points in the loss to North Carolina and 17 points vs. UNC Greensboro. He matched his career-high of four assists in the win over Northern Iowa and played an outstanding defensive game.

His best game in Big Ten play came in the win over Minnesota, where he scored 15 points and collected two steals. He added 12 points, six rebounds and two steals at Illinois. In his first season at Iowa, Haluska is shooting 47.6% from the field and 79.7% from the free throw line while averaging 13.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

THOMAS HELPS ON THE GLASS
Junior Doug Thomas is making a major contribution to Iowa’s rebounding efforts, as he is fourth on the team with an average of 4.2 per game. Thomas had nine rebounds in his first game as a Hawkeye and added a season-best 10 in a win over UNC Greensboro. Thomas had six points and six rebounds in the win over Texas Tech and he had five rebounds in the overtime loss at Illinois. Thomas is averaging 4.4 points while shooting 60% from the field and 77.8% from the foul line.

SCORING BY HALVES
Iowa has outscored its opponents 595-550 in the first half and 722-611 in the second half, and the Hawkeyes have been outscored 8-3 in one overtime period. Iowa has led at halftime in 10 of 17 games and the Hawkeyes have outscored their opponent in the second half in 13 games.

HAWKEYE TIDBITS

• Iowa suffered consecutive Big Ten losses for the first time since 2003 when it dropped games to Michigan and Ohio State. In 2003, Iowa lost at Indiana (in OT) on Mar. 1 and at Michigan State Mar. 5. This marks the first season Iowa has lost its first two conference games of the season since 1993-94 when the Hawkeyes lost their first four league games.
• Iowa’s contest at Drake was the only true road game for the Hawkeyes in non-conference play. Iowa played three neutral site games at the EA Sports Maui Invitational and played Texas Tech at the United Center in Chicago.
• In the 70-63 win over Iowa State, Iowa held the Cyclones without a three-point basket as ISU missed all six of its attempts. That marks the first time an Iowa opponent did not make at least one three-point basket since early in the 2001-02 season, when Iowa State missed all eight of its three-point attempts in a 78-53 loss to Iowa in Ames.
• As a team, Iowa set two Gazette Hawkeye Challenge tournament records and tied a third, in a win over UNC Greensboro. The Hawkeyes set a tournament record and tied their own school record with 12 blocked shots. That record was set earlier this season in a loss to North Carolina. Iowa also shot 57.9% (11-19) from three-point range to set a tournament record and the 11 three-point field goals tied a tournament mark.
• Iowa has had four players or more score in double figures in 12 of 17 games, with a season-best six players in the win over Western Illinois. Iowa is 1-0 when six players score in double figures, 1-0 when five players score 10 points or more, 8-2 when four reach double figures, 1-1 with three in double figures and 2-1 when two are in double figures.
• Iowa has four players averaging between 13.1 and 18.1 points per game and four players averaging between 4.2 and 8.2 rebounds per outing.
• Iowa is 10-0 when leading at halftime and 3-4 when trailing at intermission.
• Iowa is 7-2 when controlling the opening tip and 6-2 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 7-2 in games decided by 10 points or less and 0-1 in overtime. Under Steve Alford, Iowa is 31-6 when shooting at least 50% from the field, including 6-1 this season.
• North Carolina and Northern Iowa are the only Iowa opponents to shoot over 50% from the field this season. Last season, Iowa was 0-5 when its opponent shot at least 50% from the field.

SEEKING FIVE STRAIGHT IN `05
Iowa is seeking a fifth straight winning season, a streak that would match the second longest consecutive winning seasons record in Iowa basketball history. Iowa’s longest streak of consecutive winning seasons is seven, from 1950 through 1956. Pops Harrison, Bucky O’Connor and Rollie Williams all coached the Hawkeyes during those years. Only a 10-10 record in 1949 kept Iowa from 13 consecutive winning seasons (1944-56). Lute Olson coached Iowa to five straight winning seasons from 1979-83, George Raveling and Tom Davis combined to coach Iowa to winning seasons from 1985-89 and Davis coached Iowa to winning seasons from 1995-99.

TRI-CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2005
Iowa’s tri-captains for the season include juniors Greg Brunner, Jeff Horner and Pierre Pierce. Pierce, a native of Westmont, IL, started all 29 games a year ago, leading the team in scoring (16.1) while averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. Brunner, a native of Charles City, started 26 of 29 games. His 8.2 rebounds per game were a team best and ranked second in the Big Ten. Horner, a Mason City native, has started all 69 games over the past three seasons. He led the team in assists in each of the last two seasons while also averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds last year.

HALK TALK WITH Steve Alford
Fans of the University of Iowa basketball program may join Iowa Coach Steve Alford and radio announcer Gary Dolphin each week during the season for the “Hawk Talk with Steve Alford” radio call-in show. The show takes place each week at Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Café in Iowa City. The show airs from 6-7:30 p.m. on the following dates: Jan. 24, 31; Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28; and Mar. 7.

IOWA ON THE TUBE
Every Iowa game throughout the 2004-05 will be televised. Iowa appeared on national cable television (ESPN and ESPN2) in three games in the Maui Invitational and the Dec. 21 game vs. Texas Tech was a national cable telecast on ESPN2. Iowa games not selected for national coverage will be televised regionally by ESPN Plus, while several conference games are scheduled to be carried throughout the Big Ten Conference viewing area as part of the Big Ten regional network agreement with ESPN Plus.

AFTER THIS
Iowa visits Northwestern Wednesday, Jan. 26 (7:05 p.m.) and will host Indiana Saturday, Jan. 29 (4:05 p.m.).