Dec. 25, 2006
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The Setting ? Iowa (8-5, 0-0) opens Big Ten play at Minnesota (8-4, 0-0) Thursday. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. in Williams Arena. Thursday’s game will be both Iowa and Minnesota’s first game in six days.
Iowa History ? Iowa has played 921 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 562-359 (.610). That includes a 277-131 (.679) mark in Big Ten games and a 256-73 (.778) 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 Friday’s game 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.
Scouting Minnesota ? Thursday will be Minnesota’s first home game since defeating Chicago State (72-34) on December 2. The Golden Gophers have played three straight road games, winning at Nebraska (74-65), but dropping the last two at Iowa State (67-57) and North Dakota State (62-48). Minnesota boasts a 6-1 home record and average 4,820 fans per contest.
In its last game, the Golden Gophers were plagued by poor shooting as Minnesota shot 30 percent (14-46) from the field and 50 percent (17-34) from the foul line in scoring a season-low 48 points in its 14-point setback at North Dakota State. Redshirt freshman Ashley Ellis-Milan lead the Golden Gophers scoring eight points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.
Minnesota is led by senior Kelly Roysland, sophomore Emily Fox and Ellis-Milan. Roysland ranks first in team scoring (14.7), 3-pointers made (21) and attempted (52) and second in assists (33). Fox ranks second in scoring (11.0) and first in steals (21), while Ellis-Milan ranks first in rebounding (8.3) and third in scoring (9.3).
The Golden Gophers, who lost 11 letterwinners from last year’s team, rank first in Big Ten rebounding (44.5) and second in 3-point field goal defense (.275).
Minnesota is coached by Pam Borton, who is in her ninth season (172-83, .675) as a head coach, and her fifth with the Golden Gophers (102-37, .734).
All-Time Series Record ? Thursday will be the 56th meeting between Iowa and Minnesota, with the Hawkeyes leading the series 36-19. The Hawkeyes own a 14-11 edge in games played in Minneapolis.
Williams Arena is one of three league arenas a Bluder coached Iowa team has yet to record a victory. Iowa is 0-3 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis and 0-4 at both Value City Arena in Columbus and Mackey Arena in West Lafayette under Bluder.
Minnesota has won six of the last eight overall meetings against Iowa. The Golden Gophers won the only game between the two teams last year, 80-68, in Iowa City. Iowa’s last win over Minnesota (81-61) came on Feb. 19, 2004 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa, Minnesota Notes ? Iowa is 4-2 in conference openers under Coach Bluder. This year marks the second consecutive season Iowa will open the Big Ten schedule on the road. Last year, the Hawkeyes opened league play at Indiana.
? Iowa and Minnesota have played four common opponents: Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Creighton and UW-Green Bay. The Hawkeyes went 1-3 against the before mentioned teams, while the Golden Gophers went 2-2.
? Iowa has two players from the state of Minnesota on its roster, junior Krista VandeVenter (Osseo) and freshman Zoraa Quoie (Woodbury).
? Iowa is 98-10 when leading at the half in the seven years under Coach Bluder. Additionally, Iowa is 78-12 when holding opponents to 69 points or less, including a 32-1 mark when opponents score 59 points or less.
? Iowa ranks first in Big Ten free throw shooting (.790), while Minnesota ranks last (.641).
? Iowa ranks last in the Big Ten in steals per contest (5.3). The Hawkeyes’ 5.3 steals per game is their worst average since finishing the season with a 5.1 average in 1985-86.
? Twenty-five percent of Iowa’s offensive production has come from the free throw line with 226 of its 904 points coming from the charity stripe.
? Megan Skouby is the only Hawkeye 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 eight games.
? Iowa is 7-0 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 ranks fourth in the country in free throw percentage and 36th in assists per game. Jenee Graham ranks 21st in rebounds per contest.
? Iowa is 2-1 in games played on December 22, including winning its last two. Saturday will be the first time the Hawkeyes will have played on December 22 since its triumph over Northwestern in 2001.
? Krista VandeVenter has grabbed 513 career rebounds and ranks 14th in Iowa career rebounding. VandeVenter is 23 rebound from tying Kim Howard (536) for 13th.
Last Meeting ? Minnesota used a second-half scoring surge and another dominant performance from its bench to put away pesky Iowa in an 80-68 victory in front of a season-high 7,005 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The 12th-ranked Gophers used a 22-6 run to start the second half and a 30-15 advantage in bench scoring for their third straight win.
Liz Podominick had 13 points and Jamie Broback and Natasha Williams chipped in 12 points each for the Gophers. Minnesota won by double-digits for the third straight game, despite trailing the Hawkeyes 37-32 at halftime.
Podominick had six points during the run to start the second half, but it was the Gophers’ defense that made the difference.
Minnesota forced the Hawkeyes into five missed shots and three turnovers in Iowa’s first eight possessions of the second half and stifled Iowa’s Crystal Smith into a 2-14 shooting day. Smith, the Big Ten’s leading scorer going into the game, managed a season-low 11 points.
Shannon Bolden, Minnesota’s defensive wizard, harassed Smith for most of the day, forcing her to take contested shot after contested shot.
Five players scored in double-digits for Minnesota, including Shannon Schonrock, who scored nine of her 11 points on 3-pointers.
Center Megan Skouby led the Hawkeyes with 20 points. Forward Krista VandeVenter recorded her fifth career double-double and her second of the season, collecting 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Iowa shot only 11.1 percent (1-9) from 3-point range in the loss.
Trio ? Iowa has three players averaging double figures in scoring: Megan Skouby (14.4), Kristi Smith (11.8) and Wendy Ausdemore (10.6). The Hawkeyes’ top three scorers are sophomores.
Last Time Out ? Junior Krista VandeVenter sparked the Iowa Hawkeyes scoring a game and career-high 23 points en route to a 77-70 win at Drake, snapping a three-game losing skid.
VandeVenter, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time season, made all eight of her field goal attempts and was 7-9 from the foul line in leading the Hawkeyes to their fifth consecutive win over the Bulldogs. In addition to her offensive production, VandeVenter grabbed seven rebounds and collected a steal.
Iowa, who led start-to-finish, started the game on an 18-9 run in the first nine minutes to gain control of the contest. Iowa had good balanced scoring as eight Hawkeyes scored four points or more in its non-conference finale.
Iowa led by as much as 15 (31-16) in the first half, but Drake rallied with a 12-3 run to trim the deficit to six (34-28) with just over a minute remaining. However, the Hawkeyes scored the last five points of the half and reestablished an 11-point advantage (39-28) at intermission.
Drake opened the second stanza on a 10-4 run in the first three minutes to cut Iowa’s lead to five (43-38). Iowa withstood the Bulldog early push and rebuilt a 10-point lead (60-50) midway through the half.
Drake was plagued by horrendous free throw shooting, making only 39 percent (9-23) from the charity stripe. Iowa, the nation’s fourth-best free throw shooting squad, drained 71 percent (20-28) of its attempts.
Sophomore Megan Skouby contributed 16 points, eight of which came in the first even minutes of the game. Junior Abby Emmert netted nine points and sophomore Lindsey Nyenhuis added eight. Junior Jenee Graham continued her dominance on the glass, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. Graham has eclipsed double figures in rebounding 10 times this season.
The Bulldogs were led by its two leading scorers, Brandy Dahir and Lindsay Whorton. Dahir scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Whorton netted 17 points.
Iowa shot 51 percent (27-53) from the field and had only 10 turnovers.
Report Cards Good For Admission ? Elementary school, junior high and high school fans of Iowa’s men’s and women’s basketball teams can gain free admission to upcoming basketball events by presenting a copy of their progress report or report card to receive a free game ticket.
The report card exchange will be in effect for men’s home games Dec. 20 (Georgia State, 7:05 p.m.) and Dec. 23 (Texas Southern, 12:05 p.m.) and women’s home games on Dec. 31 (Ohio State, 2 p.m.) and Jan. 14 (Michigan State, 2 p.m.).
Elementary students must present a copy of their most recent report card or “progress report”. Junior high and high school students can gain free admission by presenting a copy of their most recent report card with at least one “A” grade.
The cards need to be presented at any of the ticket office windows on game day/night. The students must be accompanied by an adult, who must have purchased a full-priced ticket. The student tickets may also be exchanged in advance at the Athletic Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Those students who present a copy of their progress report or report card at any of the four basketball events will have a chance to win a home computer system from Best Buy. That drawing will be held Jan. 14 when the Hawkeye women host Michigan State.
Skouby Named to Watch List ? Megan Skouby is one of 50 of the country’s top collegiate women’s basketball players named as preseason candidates for the Naismith Trophy. The preseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy, which is presented to the men’s and women’s player of the year, was compiled by the Atlanta Tip-off Club’s Board of Selectors. The board based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2006-07 season.
RPI Ratings ? Iowa ranks 52nd, while Minnesota ranks 43rd in the RPI rankings published on December 27, on collegerpi.com/women. Currently, the Big Ten Conference is the nation’s best rated league.
Attendance Rankings ? Iowa ranks 28th nationally in attendance, averaging 3,464 fans. The Hawkeyes have ranked in the top-25 fifteen of the last 17 seasons.
Behind the Arc ? Iowa has three players who have drained over 13 triples this season, Wendy Ausdemore (22), Lindsey Nyenhuis (18) and Kristi Smith (13) — all of whom are sophomores.
As a team, Iowa ranks seventh in Big Ten 3-pointers made (4.46).
On the Road Again ? Thursday will conclude a difficult stretch of playing four-of-five games on the road for the Hawkeyes.
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.
Graham Steps Up ? With Iowa’s leading rebounder (Krista VandeVenter) sidelined for the first seven contests, Jenee Graham stepped up and filled the rebounding void. She grabbed double-digit rebounds in 10-13 contests and has been Iowa’s leading rebounder in 11 games. Graham corralled a career-high 14 rebounds against Indiana State and Louisiana Tech.
Graham averages 6.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.31 assists. The native of Bolingbrook, IL, is the Big Ten’s leading rebounder (10.2) and ranks second in defensive rebounding (6.8). She also ranks 12th in assists (3.31). Graham has dished out four dimes or more seven times this year.
The junior is the first Iowa player to average double figures in rebounding this far into the season, since Amy Herrig in 1998-99 (11.3).
Graham led Iowa in scoring for the first time in her career when she netted a career-high 14 points vs. Northern Iowa.
Freebies ? Iowa has made free throws when it counted — in the last five minutes of the games. The Hawkeyes are 54-69 (.783) in the last five minutes, 27-37 (.730) under two minutes and 29-36 (.806) with under a minute to play.
Iowa has made 226-286 from the foul line this season. The Hawkeyes’ 79.0 percent shooting from the free throw line is tops in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. Iowa opponents are only 149-215 (.693) from the charity stripe. The Hawkeyes rank second nationally in free throws made (226).
Iowa is well on pace to break the school record of 512 free throws made, established in 2002-03.
Smith Leads ? Kristi Smith has done a great job leading the Hawkeye offense as point guard through 13 games. Smith ranks second in team scoring (11.8), assists (3.54) and free throws made (52). 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 four times, including scoring 20-plus points twice, and led the team in steals eight times.
Big Ten Rankings ? Iowa ranks first in Big Ten free throw percentage (.790 and fifth in field goal percentage (.447). Individually, Jenee Graham ranks first in rebounding (10.2), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.43) and 12th in assists (3.31). Wendy Ausdemore ranks ninth in 3-point field goal percenatage (.328). Megan Skouby ranks eighth in scoring (14.4) and sixth in blocks (1.62) and free throw percentage (.846). Kristi Smith ranks fifth in free throw percentage (.852) and seventh in assists (3.54).
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.
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 22-67 (.328) from 3-point range.
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.
Senior Update ? Redshirt senior Johanna Solverson, who is Iowa’s lone senior, suffered her second ACL tear on her right knee in late June. It is hopeful that she will return to game action in January. She participated in pre-game warmups for the first time at Drake on December 22.
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 695 career games (477-218, .687) and 197 contests (121-76, .614) 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.
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:>
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.
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.
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.
Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series ? Iowa currently leads the third annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series 11-4 with only three events remaining. Iowa was victorious in women’s soccer (1-0, OT), football (27-17), wrestling (24-6) men’s basketball (77-59) and women’s swimming (181.5-117.5). Iowa State won volleyball (3-2) and women’s basketball (80-74).
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, 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 years. 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.
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.
Due to the holidays, the show will go on a two-week hiatus and will resume on Monday, January 8.
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 ? The Hawkeyes return home when they welcome nationally-ranked Ohio State on Sunday. Iowa will then hit the road for two games at Northwestern (Jan. 7) and Indiana (Jan. 11).