July 20, 2005
DEN HELDER, NETHERLANDS – Iowa senior Crystal Smith scored a game-high 17 points en route to the Big Ten Foreign Tour Team’s 119-56 rout over the Netherlands National Team Tuesday night. The native of Haughton, LA, scored her 17 points on 7-11 shooting from the field, including 1-2 from 3-point range and 2-3 from the free throw line. Smith also collected two assists.
The Big Ten All-Stars did not appear to show any signs of jetlag as the Tour squad, which is coached by Penn State’s Rene Portland, jumped out to a 62-24 advantage at halftime. For the game, the All-Stars shot 48-of-69 (.696) from the field, including 9-of-17 (.529) from beyond the arc and 14-of-15 (.933) from the free-throw line.
The 119 points marks the highest point total and the 63-point win is the second largest margin of victory for the All-Stars in the tour’s 13-year history. Last season in Australia, the All-Stars defeated Logan Thunder, 114-57, which then marked the largest point total (114) and second largest margin of victory (57) of the Tour. The most lopsided win occurred during the 1995 Tour in Japan when the All-Stars defeated the Yokosuka Lady Hawks by 90 points, 113-23.
The squad includes players from 10 of the 11 Conference institutions. Tuesday was the first of five games for the All-Stars, which are being played in the Netherlands and Belgium. The Big Ten Foreign Tour remains on the court the next two nights against the Netherlands.
The All-Stars, who averaged a margin of victory of over 30 points during a 4-0 trip to Australia last season, are looking for their fourth consecutive undefeated Tour. The team has now won 15 straight contests and has gone 47-18 since the inception of the Tour in 1992, which has been held annually except for 2003.