Dec. 4, 2006
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The Setting ? Iowa (7-2) returns to action Thursday when the Hawkeyes travel to Green Bay, WI, to face UW-Green Bay (3-3). Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. in the Phoenix Sports Complex (1,800).
Iowa History ? Iowa has played 917 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 561-356 (.612). That includes a 277-131 (.679) mark in Big Ten games and a 256-72 (.780) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
On the Radio ? Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call the action for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the games on WHO 1040-AM in Des Moines, WMT 600-AM in Cedar Rapids and KXIC 800-AM in Iowa City.
The game can also be heard live over the Internet at hawkeyesports.com. Just click “Hawkeye All-Access” at the top right of the page. “Hawkeye All-Access” is a subscription service.
Video Web Cast ? Thursday night’s game can be viewed live on the Internet, free, thanks to the Horizon League. Fans can watch the contest by visiting the web site: www.horizonleague.org.
Time to Catch a Breath ? After playing nine games in three weeks, Iowa will play only two games the next two weeks, both on the road. The Hawkeyes play one game this week and another the end of next week. Iowa plays at UW-Green Bay (Dec. 7) and at Rutgers (Dec. 16). Iowa student-athletes have their final exams next week (Dec. 11-15).
Scouting UW-Green Bay ? UW-Green Bay will be playing its first game in eight days on Thursday. The Phoenix was scheduled to host Illinois State last Saturday, but due to a winter storm that swept through the Midwest, the Redbirds had travel difficulty and the game was postponed.
The Phoenix have a big home court advantage, boasting a 288-64 (.818) mark in the Sports Center since the 1976-77 season. Over the past seven years, UW-Green Bay has gone 68-8 (.895) at home. The Phoenix are 1-1 at home this season.
UW-Green Bay is picked to win the Horizon League for the fifth consecutive year by a vote of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and media. The Phoenix return all five starters that led the squad to a 23-7 mark and a WNIT appearance last year. UW-Green Bay is led by the defending Horizon League Player of the Year senior forward Nicole Soulis along with classmate and second team all-league guard Natalie Berglin. Soulis ranks first in team scoring (17.3) and rebounding (6.6), while Berglin ranks second in scoring (13.3) and first in assists (29), steals (10) and 3-pointers made (13) and attempted (31).
The Phoenix have recorded victories over Oakland (90-68), Minnesota (75-66) and Northern Arizona (75-64). UW-Green Bay lost to Kansas State (72-67), Marquette (67-63) and DePaul (71-70).
Like Iowa, UW-Green Bay is a high-scoring team. The Phoenix average 73.3 points per game, while the Hawkeyes average 74.3.
Kevin Borseth is in his 20th year as a collegiate head coach (415-158, .724), and his ninth with UW-Green Bay (190-61, .757).
All-Time Series Record ? Thursday will be only the second meeting between Iowa and UW-Green Bay. The Hawkeyes defeated the Phoenix, 81-57, last year in Iowa City. Iowa boasts a 7-1 (.875) record against current members of the Horizon League.
On This Date ? Iowa is 7-3 in games played on December 7, including winning six of its last seven contests. Iowa defeated UT-Pan American (86-38) in 2001 — its last game played on December 7.
Iowa, UW-Green Bay Notes ? Iowa is 97-10 when leading at the half in the seven years under Coach Bluder. Additionally, Iowa is 78-11 when holding opponents to 69 points or less, including a 32-1 mark when opponents score 59 points or less.
? Megan Skouby is the only Iowa player to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back contests (Florida International and Louisiana Tech). The Hawkeyes have had a different leading scorer the last four games.
? Tim Daley, who was one of the three officials in Sunday’s Iowa contest, will also be working Thursday night’s game at UW-Green Bay.
? Iowa is 6-0 when having a higher field goal percentage and opponents shoot less than 40 percent from 3-point range this season. The Hawkeyes are also 7-1 when having more assists.
? Iowa has had five players score double figures in two of the last three contests.
? Jenee Graham has been a very efficient shooter the last three games. Graham has made 12 of her last 19 field goal attempts (.632), including a perfect 5-5 performance vs. Iowa State.
? Krista VandeVenter has grabbed 497 career rebounds and ranks 16th in Iowa career rebounding. VandeVenter is only nine rebounds from tying Jamie Cavey (506) for 15th.
Last Meeting ? Iowa had five players score double figures as the Hawkeyes cruised to an 81-57 victory over UW-Green Bay at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes used the long ball to stretch its lead over the Phoenix in the first half. Iowa converted a blistering 7-12 (.583) from behind the arc, while UW-Green Bay was only 3-13 (.231) in the first period to enable Iowa to build a 45-30 halftime advantage.
Crystal Smith ignited Iowa’s offensive attack, netting a team-high 14 points and also collecting four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. Tiffany Reedy contributed 13 points, including 11 in the first half and posted team highs in rebounds (9) and steals (3). Stacy Schlapkohl pulled down a then-career-high seven rebounds, including five defensive boards.
Iowa’s four freshmen that played amassed 33 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Megan Skouby collected 13 points and six rebounds. Wendy Ausdemore contributed 10 points. Kristi Smith recorded 10 points and dished out four assists, while Nicole VanderPol registered two points and two rebounds.
The Hawkeyes dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Phoenix by 20 (46-26). Iowa converted 14 offensive rebounds into 15 second chance points. The Hawkeyes also fotrced 16 turnovers and converted the miscues into 17 points.
Nicole Soulis led UW-Green Bay, posting game highs in scoring (15) and blocks (3). She also grabbed four rebounds in defeat.
The Hawkeye bench out-scored the Phoenix’s bench 39-17.
Foursome ? Iowa has four players averaging double figures in scoring: Megan Skouby (15.8), Kristi Smith (12.8), Wendy Ausdemore (12.2) and Stacy Schlapkohl (12.2). The Hawkeyes’ top three scorers are sophomores.
Hawkeyes Return ? Junior Krista VandeVenter (shoulder) and freshman Zoraa Quoie (knee) have been cleared to play by the medical staff. Both saw limited action in last week’s two games.
Against Iowa State, VandeVenter collected three rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes of action. Quoie did not record any statistics in less than a minute of court time. Against Samford, VandeVenter had five rebounds and two points, while Quoie had two assists, two steals and two points.
Last Time Out ? Iowa rebounded from its loss to Iowa State with a 66-60 triumph over Samford at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa led from start-to-finish en route to its seventh win of the year.
For the second consecutive contest, Iowa sprinted out to a double-digit advantage in the first four minutes, scoring the first 10 points of the game. The Hawkeyes shot a blistering 60.0 percent (15-25) in the first half enabling Iowa to take a 19-point lead into half (27-18). Iowa’s 2-3 zone limited the Bulldogs to 21.9 percent (7-32) shooting from the field in the first stanza, including 12.5 percent (2-16) from the 3-point arc.
Iowa built a 25-point (52-27) advantage with just over 12 minutes remaining, but went cold from the field. The Hawkeyes missed nine straight field goal attempts and didn’t score a point in five minutes. Samford took advantage going on an 18-0 run to cut the Iowa deficit to seven (52-45) with eight minutes remaining. The Bulldogs were 5-6 from the field and 7-7 from the free throw line during the scoring run.
Samford continued to chip away at the Hawkeyes’ lead and trailed by only two points (62-60) with just over a minute left. Up two, Megan Skouby drained a turnaround jumper to put Iowa up four with just under a minute to play. After a defensive stop, Abby Emmert sank a pair of free throws to for the game’s final points.
Skouby finished the game netting a game-high 14 points. Jenee Graham corralled a game-high 12 rebounds. Graham, who is the Big Ten’s leading rebounder, has grabbed double figure rebounds in seven of nine games this season. Graham also scored eight points and dished out a game-high five assists.
Iowa out-rebounded the Bulldogs by 18 (44-26). The 44 rebounds are the highest total of the season for the Hawkeyes.
Samford had three players post double figures. Reserves Megan Wilderotter and Monica Maxwell scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, all in the second half. Alex Munday added 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Iowa point guard Kristi Smith contributed nine points and three assists, while forward Stacy Schlapkohl added eight points and pulled down five boards.
Final Game Notes ? Iowa posted its largest lead of the year (26), and its largest halftime advantage (19).
? Samford posted single-game lows for an Iowa opponent in worst first half field goal percentage (21.9%), least first half points (18), field goals made (18) and attempted (53), rebounds (26) and blocks (0).
? All 10 Iowa players had scored at least two points in the first 20 minutes.
? Iowa wore its gold jerseys for only the second time this year.
? The Hawkeyes improved to 3-0 on Sunday games.
RPI Ratings ? Iowa ranks 45th, while UW-Green Bay ranks 43rd in the RPI rankings published on December 4, on collegerpi.com/women. Currently, the Big Ten Conference is the nation’s best rated league.
Graham Steps Up ? With Iowa’s leading rebounder (Krista VandeVenter) sidelined for the first seven contests, Jenee Graham has stepped up and filled the rebounding void. The junior grabbed double-digit rebounds in 7-9 contests and has been Iowa’s leading rebounder in eight games. Graham corralled a career-high 14 rebounds against Indiana State and Louisiana Tech.
Graham averages 6.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists. The native of Bolingbrook, IL, is the Big Ten’s leading rebounder (10.4) and ranks second in defensive rebounding (7.2). She also ranks sixth in assists (3.9).
The sophomore is the first Iowa player to average double figures in rebounding, since Amy Herrig in 1998-99 (11.3).
Freebies ? Iowa has made free throws when it counted — in the last five minutes of the games. The Hawkeyes are 40-50 (.800) in the last five minutes, 20-27 (.741) under two minutes and 22-26 (.846) with under a minute to play.
Iowa has made 160-202 from the foul line this season. The Hawkeyes’ 79.2 percent shooting from the free throw line ranks first in the Big Ten. Iowa opponents are only 114-157 (.726) from the charity stripe through nine games.
The Hawkeyes are well on pace to break the school record of 512 free throws made, established in 2002-03.
Behind the Arc ? Iowa has two players who have drained over 15 triples this season, Wendy Ausdemore (16) and Lindsey Nyenhuis (15).
As a team, the Hawkeyes rank fourth in Big Ten 3-pointers made (4.78).
Hot Shot ? Lindsey Nyenhuis provided a spark for the Hawkeyes off the bench in the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge. Nyenhuis scored a career-high 12 points vs. Quinnipiac and nine against Florida International. All of her points came from behind the 3-point arc. The sophomore was a sizzling 7-8 (.875) from 3-point range in the tournament.
Nyenhuis ranks ninth in Big Ten 3-point field goal percentage (.385) and 11th in 3-pointers made (1.7).
Smith Leads ? Kristi Smith has done a great job leading the Hawkeye offense as point guard through nine games. Smith ranks second in team scoring (12.8) and assists (3.8) and first in free throws made (43), attempted (50) and percentage (.860). The sophomore was 7-7 from the line vs. Florida International, 11-12 against Missouri State and 9-10 at Creighton.
Smith has led the team in scoring three times, including scoring 20-plus points twice, and led the team in steals six times.
Big Ten Rankings ? Iowa ranks first in Big Ten free throw percentage (.792), second in scoring offense (74.3) and third in assists (17.9) and assist/turnover ratio (1.1). Individually, Jenee Graham ranks first in rebounding (10.4), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and sixth in assists (3.9). Wendy Ausdemore ranks sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.4) and eighth in 3-pointers made (1.8). Megan Skouby ranks fifth in scoring (15.8) and blocks (1.8). Kristi Smith ranks fourth in free throw percentage (.860) and ninth in assists (3.8). Stacy Schlapkohl ranks ninth in field goal percentage (.531).
Hawkeyes Honored ? Sophomores Wendy Ausdemore and Megan Skouby were named to the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge All-Tournament team. Skouby was recognized as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Hi-Octane ? The 171 combined points in Iowa’s 88-83 win over Indiana State on Nov. 15, was the highest scoring game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since a 94-83 loss to Minnesota in 2001.
Ausdemore Ties Record ? Wendy Ausdemore tied a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record by an Iowa player when she made five triples vs. Quinnipiac. The sophomore was 5-7 (.714) from behind the arc against the Bobcats. For the season, she is 16-50 (.320) from 3-point range.
Schlapkohl Delivers ? Stacy Schlapkohl returned to the starting lineup in lowa’s 88-83 win over Indiana State on Nov. 15. The junior scored a game and career-high 24 points on 9-15 shooting from the field and 6-10 from the foul line. She has netted double figures in 6-9 contests this season. Schlapkohl ranks third in team scoring (12.2).
Hawkeyes Win WBCA Classic ? Iowa opened the season with two quality road wins, defeating Missouri State (79-70) and Kansas (63-49) to capture the fifth-annual WBCA Classic in Kansas City, MO.
Trifecta ? The Hawkeyes had three sophomores recognized on the WBCA Classic All-Tournament team. Wendy Ausdemore, Megan Skouby and Kristi Smith all earned all-tournament laurels. Skouby was honored as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Skouby averaged 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks in the two contests. Smith averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds. Ausdemore averaged 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
All-Big Ten Recognition ? For the second straight year, Iowa has been picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten by the media and coaches. Individually, Megan Skouby was named to the pre-season all-conference team by the media and coaches. Skouby is the only sophomore to be recognized; the team is comprised of three seniors, one junior and one sophomore.
Gunning For Seven ? Iowa has posted a winning season each year Coach Bluder has been on the Hawkeye sidelines. The Hawkeyes have strung together six straight winning seasons since the 2000-01 campaign, earning an NCAA Tournament berth four times. The school record for consecutive winning seasons is 11, established 1984-1994.
20-Year Anniversary ? This season marks the 20-year anniversary of Iowa’s first Big Ten regular season championship. Iowa’s 1986-87 team finished the league campaign 17-1 and shared the title with Ohio State. The squad advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual NCAA runner-up Louisiana Tech. Michelle Edwards earned all-America honors, while Franthea Price was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Bluder Approaches Milestones ? After garnering her 300th Division I victory in Iowa’s regular season finale vs. Indiana last season, Bluder will reach two additional coaching milestones in 2006-07. She will coach in her 700th career game and 200th on the Iowa sidelines, both during conference play. The Marion, IA, native has coached in 691 career games (476-215, .689) and 191 contests (120-73, .622) on the Hawkeye sidelines.
In her first six years at Iowa, Bluder guided the Black and Gold to four first division finishes in the highly regarded Big Ten Conference. Iowa’s 56 league wins the last six seasons rank as the fourth-highest total in the Big Ten behind Purdue (75), Penn State (69) and Ohio State (64). She has coached five Hawkeye players to all-Big Ten first team status, three to the second team and three that were named to the all-freshman team.
Senior Update ? Redshirt senior Johanna Solverson, who is Iowa’s lone senior on the roster, suffered her second ACL tear on her right knee in late June. She is currently rehabbing and it is hopeful that she will return to game action in late January.
No Senior Starters ? For the first time under Coach Bluder, Iowa will not have a senior in the starting lineup. Iowa’s probable starting lineup includes four sophomores (Wendy Ausdemore, Lindsey Nyenhuis, Kristi Smith, Megan Skouby) and one junior (Krista VandeVenter).
The last time Iowa did not have a senior starter was the 1999-00 season (two juniors, three sophomores). Iowa has had at least two senior starters every year under Bluder, except the 2002-03 season (center Tracy Schrupp). Below is a list of Iowa’s senior starters under Bluder:
2000-01: Cara Consuegra, Randi Peterson2001-02: Leah Magner, Lindsey Meder, Jerica Watson2002-03: Tracy Schrupp2003-04: Kristi Faulkner, Jennie Lillis2004-05: Jenna Armstrong, Jamie Cavey2005-06: Tiffany Reedy, Crystal Smith="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
Hawkeyes on the Tube ? Seven regular season games are already scheduled to be televised by either KCRG or Comcast SportsNet Chicago. KCRG will televise home contests vs. Iowa State (Nov. 30), Northern Iowa (Dec. 19), Michigan State (Jan. 14) and Wisconsin (Feb. 25). Comcast SportsNet Chicago will air home games vs. Minnesota (Jan. 25) and Michigan (Feb. 8) and the Hawkeyes’ road game at Penn State (Jan. 28).
Underclassmen Stepped Up in 2005-06 ? Last year’s freshman class of Megan Skouby, Kristi Smith, Wendy Ausdemore, Nicole VanderPol and Lindsey Nyenhuis stepped up and accounted for 42.5 percent of Iowa’s offense. The sophomore class of Krista VandeVenter, Abby Emmert and Stacy Schlapkohl was responsible for 20.6 percent of Iowa’s offense. Combined, the underclassmen accounted for 63.1 percent of Iowa’s offense, which bodes well for the future.
Home Grown Hawkeyes ? Iowa’s 2006-07 roster features four players from the state of Iowa (Wendy Ausdemore, Abby Emmert, Stacy Schlapkohl and Nicole VanderPol). The Hawkeyes also have two players from Illinois (Jenee Graham and Johanna Solverson) and Minnesota (Krista VandeVenter and Zoraa Quoie). Iowa’s 12-person roster also features players from Colorado (Kristi Smith), Kansas (JoAnn Hamlin), Michigan (Lindsey Nyenhuis) and Ohio (Megan Skouby).
Hawkeye Newcomers ? Iowa’s only freshman is Zoraa Quoie, from Woodbury, MN. Quoie was named to the Miss Minnesota Basketball Senior All-State team her senior season. She was also named to the Star-Tribune third defensive team as a senior. Quoie was a 2005 and 2006 all-conference selection and earned 2004 and 2005 honorable mention all-state laurels. Quoie holds her high school’s record for single-season steals.
Also on the roster this year is JoAnn Hamlin, who transferred from Kansas State. Hamlin cannot compete due to NCAA transfer rules, but can practice with the team and will have three years of eligibility remaining starting in 2007-08. Hamlin played in 33 games last year, with 31 starts at center for the Wildcats. The 31 starts were the fifth-most in the nation among freshmen. She scored in double figures 15 times, reaching the 20-point plateau four times. Hamlin averaged 10 points, 4.6 rebounds, had a total of 22 blocks and 26 steals.
Hawkeyes Traveling Overseas in 2007 ? The women’s basketball team will be traveling overseas for 12 days to Greece, August 2007, to play four exhibition games and do some sightseeing.
Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series ? Iowa currently leads the third annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series 7-4. Iowa was victorious in women’s soccer (1-0, OT), football (27-17) and wrestling (24-6), while Iowa State won volleyball (3-2) and women’s basketball (80-74). The next event is wrestling on Dec. 3 in Iowa City.
The nine-sport series awards two points (except football, which is worth three) to the winning school in each head-to-head match-up between the two institutions. Additionally, two points are awarded to an institution if the graduation rate of its student-athletes is greater than the national average as reported each fall by the NCAA.
Hawkeyes Ink Two ? Kachine Alexander and Kelsey Cermak have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa.
Alexander, a native of Minneapolis, MN, is a three-time all-conference honoree. She earned the Best Defensive Player Award at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School her freshman and sophomore seasons. Her team was three-time conference champions and won the Minnesota State AAA Championship in 2006. The 5-9 forward was named state tournament MVP and earned honorable mention all-state honors her junior year. She averaged 12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.0 assists in 29 starts her junior season.
Cermak, who hails from Norwalk, IA, is a two-time first team all-state honoree and a three-time first team all-conference and all-district selection. She was the Norwalk High School MVP her first three years. The 6-1 guard holds her school’s single-season record for steals (90). She averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals in 26 starts on a team that won the Iowa state and conference championship her junior season. Cermak averaged 18.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 steals her sophomore campaign. Norwalk placed second in its conference her freshman and sophomore seasons.
“We are excited to sign these two talented recruits,” said Head Coach Lisa Bluder. “We welcome both of these new Hawkeyes to our family!”
Blogging ? Hawkeye fans will be treated to behind-the-scenes information this season as sophomore Wendy Ausdemore and junior Abby Emmert will have their own blogs, which will be posted on the women’s basketball page of hawkeyesports.com. The duo will share their thoughts on practices, games, road trips, and everything else surrounding the program.
Iowa Information on the Web ? Statistics and play-by-play accounts of all Big Ten Tournament 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 hawkeyesports.com and then clicking on the `Gametracker’ link.
“Hawk Talk with Lisa Bluder” ? Catch “Hawk Talk with Lisa Bluder”, the radio call-in program Monday nights featuring Iowa 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 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Fans can call toll-free at (877) 464-2957. The show originates from Bob’s Your Uncle restaurant on the eastside of Iowa City.
Big Ten Tournament Tickets on Sale ? All-session tickets for the 2007 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Xbox Live are $65. Tickets can be purchased at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (317) 239-5151.
The tournament returns to Indianapolis for the 12th time in 13 years and has attracted more than 30,000 fans for each of the last five events. The 2006 tournament attendance of 38,638 and session average of 7,728 were both event records. In the past 12 years of Big Ten Tournament play, the conference has welcomed more than 353,000 fans. Six different league representatives have become tournament champions. Purdue leads all teams with five titles followed by two championships for both Iowa and Penn State and a single title for Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State.
On the Horizon ? Iowa remains on the road when it travels to nationally-ranked Rutgers (Dec. 16). The Hawkeyes return home when they host Northern Iowa (Dec. 19).